Original of the Species 1: The Slayer & the Saiyan
by Muad'zin
Summary: Multiple Crossover mostly DBZ, some Eddingsverse and SG1 A new Super Saiyan comes to Earth. But can he cope with the madness that are the Scoobies?
1. Introduction

**Original of the Species**

**Part 1 The Slayer and the Saiyan **

Multiple Crossover (mostly DBZ, some Eddingsverse and SG-1) A new Super Saiyan comes to Earth. But can he cope with the madness that are the Scoobies?

This story starts out a bit complicated. It is a BtVS/DBZ crossover, pure and simple. Yet it started out as a DBZ/Eddingsverse crossover. Along the way it changed to a DBZ/SG1/Eddingsverse crossover. Then I abondoned it because me and SG1 are only lukewarm friends at best.

Then I was introduced to two great Buffy fanfics, Far beyond Normal, which is a Buffy/SG1 crossover and Buffy Z, which is a Buffy/DBZ crossover and divine inspiration hit again. I took the main character from my earlier story and smacked him right into Sunnydale and pumped out 21 chapters plus ideas for a long time to come. The story still needed an introduction though so I took what I had, adapted it and stuck it in front.

So there are some stylistic changes between the first four chapters and the rest. Buffy won't show her face until chapter 4 with more focus on DBZ and SG1. I'll say this in advance, the SG1 angle will drop out almost completely after chapter 4. To be frank, the only reason I kept it was to help rationalize the whacked up DBZ universe into a more rational universe. Now when I first published this story on the Spacebattles forum many readers quite liked the SG1 angle. So I've decided to re-introduce it in the next part. But to the observant reader there are subtle (or maybe not so subtle) hints that it's still going on in the background.

So now that i've explained some stuff, without further adieu, on to the prologue!

PS. Occasionally I sneak in some fing good quotes from other shows/verses. Cookies to those who can identify them.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material written in here. They all belong to their rightful creators. Probably not even to them any more but to their corporate overlords. I hereby pledge allegiance to our corporate overlords and promise to buy their DMCR infested products like a good little slave.

* * *

**Prologue**

Unknown world 1977 AD

He was sitting in his study room, not really studying. He had never been big on studying. Except for military history, target data exploitation of known weaknesses. And the martial arts. Always the martial arts. Still, over time he had managed to pick up some general development, learned the way of things, the university of life stuff. The deep stuff however, that he left to his brethren.

He got up in disgust and threw the scroll he had been reading into a corner. It was boring anyway. He was about to go his gym for some training when he felt a familiar presence. His master was here. He went to the living room and there he was.

"Master," he said and bowed. A visit from his master was a rare occurance these days.

"Well met," his master replied gently, then he gave a stern look, "I have a task for thee."

Of course, social visits weren't really on the roster. On the plus side, finally something to do he thought.

"What would you have me do, Master," he asked looking up.

"I will have thee leave this world and travel to another world far from here," his master replied, "a small group of warriors, great and small there who will come to fight a great and terrible danger have need of thy assistance. The danger they face is so great it will consume us all, even the great dueling Necessities itself. Thou are't lucky that for now their great struggle is at a standstill, so thy can'st expect aid from both of them. For once the great game is halted and there will not be a Child of Light nor a Child of Dark. In this venture thou are't the Child of Grey. This will be thy great purpose of thy life. Dost thou accept?"

Anything because I'm bored senseless was my first feeling. Then the words sunk in. If this wasto be his great purpose then it would also mean that all his past burdens would be dwarfed. Not a decision to be taken to lightly. Of course, one never says no against a God.

"I accept, master," he sayd and bowed in respect. Then he looked up again.

"But how can I go? My ship has layed here for thousands of years, broken! Unless either you or the Necessities can open a portal to that place I could not go even if wanted to," he asked hopeful. He didn't relish repairing that 4000 year old hunk o'junk. That's what techs are for and this world didn't have any.

"Fear not, for the Necessities have already made thy ship whole," the Master smiled, "al thou has to do is enter and go. Thou are't free to say thy goodbye's to your brethren but thy must go in one month time."

Crap, no portal shortcut. Which meant lots and lots of time spend in stasis. But at least some time to put things in order. Thank the Gods, especially this one, for small favors.

"What is my destination, master," HeI asked

The Master told him where he had to go. He couldn't believe his ears. It wasn't that far from where he had come, a galaxy at the most. But he knew he was very far from home these days to begin with. The master showed him a presentation of the universe and the trajectory he had to take. By the Gods, he thought, he'd be in ship stasis for decades. It would be over in a blink thanks to stasis, but he would feel it afterwards.

The master reached out an ethereal incoporeal hand and touched him on his forehead to bless him and then said his goodbye. And then he was gone.

He sat back on his chair and went over everything again and again. Damn, he could use a drink. A real one. That left only two places to go. The Twins always had great ale, they brewed it themselves. But he also needed a good ear to talk to and that left only Belgarath. And he always had a keg stolen from the Twins stashed somewhere anyway.

It was after a month of preparing that he entered his old ship, indeed restored by the Necessities and lifted off, his friends seeing him off on his great journey. From the viewport the world he had called home for 4000 years quickly sank into the distance and he activated ship stasis for the remainder of the duration. Everything turned to blank as it went on.

And while our traveler traveled things on Earth progressed on their own.

* * *

Only 5 years before his departure a certain tailed boy found his way to a lonely old man in China's wilderness, seeking refuge from the turmoil of China's cultural revolution.

* * *

6 years into his journey a girl destined to be chosen was born and that tailed boy met another girl, exploiting China's recent liberalization under its new leader to find seven mysterious objects. Adventures and wackyness ensued

* * *

In the 8th year of his journey that tailed boy entered his first Tenkaichi Budokai and nearly won.

* * *

In the 11th year of his journey that boy entered his 2nd Budokai and fought the Demon King afterwards.

* * *

In year 14 of the journey, on his 3rd Budokai, the boy, now almost a man, fought the offspring of that Demon king and won. A year later a tailed son was born to him.

* * *

In year 18 of the journey a certain Egyptologist in disrepute joined a secret US Airforce project and mankind began its first controlled journeys to other worlds. Learning along the way that it is easier to make enemies then friends in the process. And so started Earth's first interstellar war.

* * *

Year 19th marked the arrival of two alien incursions to Earth, one was detected at the last minute and dealt with by the US government, another went unnoticed but to a select few, who dealt with him. As the offspring of the Demon King took the offspring of his greatest rival for training, said rival started training in the afterlife.

* * *

In year 20 a special girl became chosen as her predecessor was killed during the arrival of two tailed aliens on Earth. One of them was killed in return, the other only barely made it back home.

* * *

In year 21 while others journeyed to a world called Namek to meet destiny, she made a shorter journey to meet hers. A great tyrant of worlds was defeated in one place of the galaxy, a master vampire snuffed it elsewhere as an insignificant boy defied both great danger and infallible prophecy for a girl who didn't even quite think of him in that same way.

* * *

It was in year 22 however that _they_ came.

* * *

The first was the supreme warlord Frieza, race unknown, world of origin unknown. Not even the mighty Goa'uld dared defy him, seeking both his favor and services instead.. Yet he had been severely mauled in a battle with what he had called an insignificant monkey called Goku on a distant world called Namek. Which now no longer existed. Courtesy of Frieza. Rescued by his father King Cold he had decided to come to Earth and either destroy it, or go for another round with Goku and then destroy it.

* * *

The second to arrive was a mysterious youth who surprised Frieza and his father by revealing himself to be a Super Saiyan and going medieval on their alien ass. He would later tell Goku that he had come from a dark and terrible future and was on a mission to play Terminator on his future rivals.

* * *

The third to arrive was Goku. Who had taken his sweet time to return from his fight on planet Namek, having taken the scenic route. It was to him that the mysterious youth confessed he was the offspring of Goku's arch rival and fellow Saiyan Vegeta and Goku's oldest friend, scientific female genius extraordinaire Bulma. Although it was also clear the mysterious youth had not been told the fairy tale of the Big Bad Wolf when he was little. Cause then he would have known what Piccolo's big ears were meant for.

* * *

The fourth to arrive arrived a little late, but better late then never. It had taken him almost 22 years to get there after all.

* * *

There were even some fifth arrivals... A busy day indeed on the deserts of Turkmenistan. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**, Earth, summer 1998.

**'The Arrival'**

Amidst the dusty plains the assembled Z-fighters stood. Trunk's time machine had just left, but his warning had struck them to their very core. Only 3 years were left to them until the androids would arrive and bring havoc. The news left them dumbfounded. Each contemplating the task ahead of them. It was Vegeta, seperate from the others surrounding Goku who first broke the silence.

"So, Kakarot, how did you escape from Namek in one piece," he asked, voicing what everybody was dying to know.

"Yeah, " added Yamcha, "according to Kaio-Sama Frieza's ship was completely busted. According to him there was no escape possible."

"I thought so too," replied Goku, "but luckily there were 4 to 5 ships nearby. I just grabbed one of those."

"Of course," exclaimed Vegeta, "the Ginyu force. They arrived independently from Frieza."

How could he have forgotten! While most of Frieza's men had come along with Frieza's ship the five alien strong Ginyu Force has come on their own seperate power to planet Namek.

"Yeah, I grabbed one just in time," Goku smiled at the recollection, "but it took me to some planet called Yardrat."

"Yardrat? That explains the clothes" Vegeta snorted, "I heard Frieza had plans for Yardrat. He must have planned for the Ginyu force to go there after Namek."

"Yeah, nice guys those Yardrati. They gave me these clothes," Goku said and looked at his weird looking clothes, "even though they are a bit funny."

"But you didn't refuse the dragon to stay there for the clothes, Kakarot," Vegeta smirked, "you were after their techniques?"

"You're starting to know me, Vegeta," Goku smiled in that great smile of his.

"So that is why you didn't return," Bulma nodded excitedly, "so what did you learn, show us!"

Goku got instant happy mode as he told them.

"Well, they could only teach me a single technique but it took me a whole year to master. It's called instant movement."

"INSTANT MOVEMENT," they all said surprised.

"Show us," asked Tien curious.

Goku smiled, cupped his left elbow with his right hand and pointed his left finger upwards.

"It's not to a place, you see, but to a person," he said, "to put it simply, you must feel that person's chi then you go straight to that person. Let's see, who should I pick? Ah!"

In an instant Goku disappeared only to reappear again a fraction of a second later.

"That's not instant movement, you third rate clown," snorted Vegeta, "you're just dazzling us by moving very fast."

"Oh yeah?" said Goku and on put on the ray ban sunglasses of Kame Senin, enjoying every minute of it as he basked in their amazement. All except Vegeta.

"And what are these then," Goku said showing of the sunglasses.

"Those are from Kame Senin," Krillin said as he recognized the sunglasses, "the master who trained us. But how can that be? He's on the other side of the world, near Hawaii."

"I told ya, instant movement," grinned Goku.

Vegeta started to fume with anger. If he were a cartoon character he would have steam coming out of his ears. Again this son of a low class commoner had increased his lead on him.

"I'm really starting to dislike you, Kakarot," he finally said after getting a hold of himself.

"And here I was thinking we could be friends Vegeta," Goku sad as he took of the sunglasses, "we are after all the last ones of our race."

"Don't count on it, Kakarot," Vegeta said coldly, "one day I will surpass you and then..."

Suddenly everybody looked upward.

"Holy shit," said Yamcha starting to shake again, "another one?"

"That is some big ass chi," said Tien, "I hope its not hostile."

By the looks of everyone's faces Bulma could see that some serious shit was about to hit the fan. These were the times she was usually happy she couldn't sense chi like they could. Usually that is. Nature had also blessed (or cursed) her with an above normal sense of curiosity.

"Hello you guys," yelled Bulma, "there are still some people here without chi sense! What's going on?"

"Somebody is coming," said Piccolo without giving her a look, "and who ever he is, he makes Frieza look like a picnic."

"Why me," sighed Krillin shaking his head in despair, "why does bad shit always happen to me before I could get a nice girlfriend?"

"Cheer up, dude," said Yamcha, "look at all the stories you get to tell when you finally do get one."

Yamcha's remark did not manage to lift Krillin's spirit. Probably because he wasn't really believing it himself.

"The universe has far to much fun at my expense," Krillin muttered.

"He's far closer then Frieza was when we first sensed him," said Tien, "we could sense him hours away. This guy is close, very close."

"He must have been suppressing until he was close," said Piccolo, "and now he feels the need to announce his coming."

"Or he no longer cares," said Vegeta.

Gohan was the first to see it.

"There," he said, and pointed towards a spec in the sky.

"Maybe its that guy from the future again," Krillin said hopeful.

"I don't think so," said Piccolo, "this one feels totally different. And a lot bigger."

"Bigger," moaned Krillin, "here we go again. I knew I should have stayed in bed."

The spec became bigger.

"It's a Saiyan spacepod," said Gohan surprised, "could it be one of Frieza's men?"

"I don't think so," said Vegeta, "he has no henchmen left who could be this strong. I took care of all of them."

The pod started it's final descent and then crash landed just to the east of the assembled Z-fighters.

"Let's pay our visitor a visit," said Goku and started to lift off.

"Hold it, Kakarot," cried Vegeta after him, "whoever elected you the leader of this outfit? I say we hide our chi and mask our approach until we know who and what we're dealing with."

Unfortunately the rest of the Z-fighters started to lift of as well.

"Hey, we have Goku now," shrugged Yamcha as he took Bulma in his arms and he and the others went to the new arrival. Vegeta growled in frustration at being left alone and then lifted off as well.

The spacepod landed a few miles to the north of the Z-fighters. By the time the Z-fighters were there it had already cooled of.

"It's definitely a Saiyan spacepod," said Vegeta surprised as he caught up with the others, "it even carries the royal seal of my fathers house."

Gone was all his caution. Could this actually be…no way! Frieza had killed all of the remaining Saiyans. He, Kakarot and that brat of his were the only Saiyans left. The only others had been Radditz and Nappa and they were also dead. Kakarot and the Namek had killed the former, he had finished off the latter.

Then the door opened. A foot emerged followed by the rest of a body. A man came out of the spaceship. He carried a very worn looking scouter on his face. He didn't wear any Saiyan battle armor but his clothes were an odd mismatch of all sorts of clothes, as if he was a vagabond living a vagabond lifestyle. His inkblack hair, be it shorter then Goku's or Vegeta's was as disorganized and gravity defying as that of any other Saiyan they had met. Except for Nappa of course who had been bald as a stone. His short sleeved shirt revealed two heavily tattooed arms and a brown furry band circled his waste. The man stretched himself out at leisure, then turned around and looked at the Z-fighters. Some of them started to tremble.

"It's a, a, a Saiyan, you guys," blurted a scared Krillin. Fuck the hair! It was the eyes. Those black irises coupled with a scouter gave Krillin flashbacks of Radditz and Nappa and the tailwhuppin' he had received back then. He had died two times already and didn't relish dying a third time. Other then Goku and Gohan, whenever a Saiyan arrived on this Earth trouble was sure to follow.

The Saiyan took his time to straighten out his clothes, no doubt for dramatic effect, only then to look at the Z-fighters again. His left hand went to his scouter and he pressed a button. He looked at each of the Z-fighters. When he came to Vegeta and Goku he quickly shut it down.

"Damn," the Saiyan said, "now I have to readjust it again."

Considering what he said the Saiyan's voice sounded surprisingly gentle. He looked at Goku and Vegeta again and studied them intensely.

"Impressive. Are you two….Saiyans," the man asked cautiously

Goku nodded. The man lifted of and gently floated towards the Z-fighters. He studied Goku up close, as if he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Then to everyone's surprise he grabbed Goku in a bear hug and embraced him.

"Man, it has been such a while since I have seen another Saiyan besides my own ugly mug."

"Same here," said Goku surprised, giving the others a what the fuck look, "but, um, could you please let go? I'm kinda getting squashed here."

"Sorry," the Saiyan said and let go. Goku let out a big sigh of relief. The man suddenly looked at Vegeta.

"If you try to hug me it will be your last," said the Saiyan prince with his coldest scowl.

The Saiyan looked closely then raised his eyebrows as in surprise.

"How could I hug royalty," he said, "are you not prince Vegeta of the royal house of Vegeta?"

"I am," Vegeta replied in a tone that implied how anyone could be stupid to think otherwise.

"I guess I should kneel then," the man said and dropped onto one knee. Vegeta didn't stop looking sour but his raised eyebrow did betray he was studying the new arrival.

So far this Saiyan had done anything but what they had come to expect from Saiyans. Still not trusting it though Krillin came up front.

"Hey, don't try anything funn," he said and pointed at Goku, "because Goku here is a Super Saiyan!"

Vegeta gave Krillin a-how-could-you-just-blabber-that-out-you-bumbling-idiot look. But it was too late.

"So you are a Super Saiyan," the Saiyan said surprised, "could you show me?"

The secret already out Goku made a gesture of what the hell towards the other Z-fighters. Suddenly his aura blazed. The others had to take a few steps back as Goku's chi pushed outwards. When Goku's hair turned to gold the transformation was complete. The Saiyan looked on impressed.

"Fascinating," he said, studying like a judge at a contest, "good control too. How long did it take you to attain this level?"

Goku put his hand behind his head and laughed sheepishly.

"Actually, it sort of happened to me."

Vegeta growled. It was bad enough that Goku became a Super Saiyan, worse even that it happened by accident.

"Would you believe that this bumbling idiot stumbled across it," he said, "even though he wasn't actually seeking it?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"That is the nature of things, my Prince," he replied, "some spend their entire life seeking what others find by accident. It took me 4000 years when it happened."

Vegeta looked shocked, as did the other Z-fighters. 4000 years?

"4000 years," Vegeta repeated as if saying it made it more comprehensible..

The Saiyan nodded and started to power up as well. Just like Goku his aura flared up, as did his chi. His shorter hair moved upright as well and turned to gold. As did his short beard.

"I wonder if their pubic hair also changes color," whispered Yamcha to Tien who let out a short laugh. Laughter was farthest from Vegeta's mind though..

"Not another one," he let out from gritted teeth as the two Super Saiyans sized each other up.

"Their power seems about equal," said Tien to Piccolo.

Piccolo looked for a while.

"I think he's holding back," he replied, "he's stronger then he wants us to believe."

"First Goku, then that kid, now him," muttered Vegeta to himself, "is there some secret Super Saiyan hangout that I don't know off? The ancient society of no-Vegeta?"

"You're just jealous because they managed to do what you didn't," said Bulma who had overheard him.

"Be quiet woman," Vegeta snarled at her,"you don't have to rub it in!"

"Be quiet yourself, you bungling oaf," she bit back. As they started to bicker the two Super Saiyans continued their staring contest.

"Fascinating," said the unknown Saiyan eventually to Goku, "truly astonishing that it took you such short time to attain this level of power."

"You want to fight me to to test me out, we could go over there if you want to," asked Goku holding up his indexfinger, "if you want I could power up my finger again?"

"That won't be necessary. I just wanted to see it," said the Saiyan and changed back to his regular look, "let me introduce myself. My name is Belmovekk, son of Rabar. I am a sorcerer and I was sent here to aid a group of warriors in their struggle against a great coming darkness. From the looks of it it seems I have found you."

The Z-fighters were surprised.

"A sorcerer," said a surprised Goku, 'what is a sorcerer?"

"For somebody who has lived on this Earth for most of his life you can be surprisingly dim," said Piccolo, "this planet is full of the supernatural, you fool. Clearly he dabbles in magic. Which probably explains the neat tattoos."

"So, no boom today," asked Bulma.

"No boom today, Bulma," said Krillin relieved.

"With you guys there's always a boom," Bulma snorted, "if not today, then certainly tomorrow!"

"If I may ask, Belmovekk, who sent you here," asked Piccolo as he stepped forward towards the Saiyan.

"It is kinda complicated," said the new Saiyan and scratched his hair, "do you have the time?"

* * *

(a few hours earlier that day)

"Sir, What the hell is going on," asked US Airforce colonel Jack O'Neill as he and his team entered the SGC briefing room..

General Hammond acknowledged his and the rest of SG-1's presence.

"Colonel. SG-1, please have a seat," he said and made a gesture to be seated.

"Weren't we supposed to go to P3X-7580 in a couple of hours," asked O'Neill after he'd seated himself. The rest of his team, major Samantha Carter, doctor Daniel Jackson and the rogue Jaffa Teal'c followed his lead.

"Your mission has been scrubbed as of immediately, colonel," the portly general said as he seated himself also, "SG-4 will carry it out at a later date."

O'Neill rolled his eyes. He had an idea where this was heading.

"Let me guess, sir, a situation has arisen," he said leaning smug in his chair, "one that specifically requires our talents. Right?"

"Your guess is correct colonel. This morning at 08:37, less then 20 minutes ago, British and American seismometers registered a series of small earthquakes taking place in the republic of Turkmenistan, to the east of the Caspian Sea. They happened in uninhabited areas. Normally this wouldn't concern us until the British alerted us that the nature of these earthquakes corresponded to a series of nuclear detonations, ranging from 30 kiloton to 1.3 megaton."

"That's quite a lot of tonnage, sir," O'Neill grinned like a Cheshire cat, "the Russians been playing with nukes again?"

"There's more, colonel," Hammond continued, "there are eyewitness reports that an even greater nuclear device was detonated in the air. A shockwave flattening half the city of Darvaza 3 minutes after a massive flash was reported, brighter then the sun."

"I guess this means Jeltsin been pushing the wrong button then," O'Neill said making a drinking gesture.

"No missile launch was detected, colonel," Hammond said. Even though he was used to the flippant behaviour of his second in command it still managed to annoy him from time to time.

"So, a nuclear test maybe?"

"Turkmenistan was never one of the former Soviet Union's nuclear testing grounds," interjected major Samantha Carter, "besides, the Russians have signed up to the testban treaty."

"So, its Jeltsin," shrugged O'Neill, making another drinking gesture.

"O'Neill, what does this mean," asked Teal'c, copying O'Neills drinking gesture, "and what does that have to do with this Jeltsin?"

"Jeltsin is the president of Russia, Teal'c," O'Neill explained to the Jaffa, "also know as the clown of the Kremlin. The Lushia from Russia! He's been known for drinking a little to much on the job."

Önly a little, Jack," Daniel Jackson smiled.

"OK, quite a lot actually," Jack shrugged quasi-innocently.

"Of what, O'Neill," Teal'c asked.

"Alcohol. Preferably wodka I guess."

Teal'c looked puzzled.

"I thought consuming alcohol and working at the same time is frowned upon in Tau'ri society?"

"Usually it is, Teal'c, but they're Russians," O'Neill shrugged again, "it's a Russian thing to do. They probably all think they are leading miserable lives and will all have miserable deaths. So why bother? You know, we where there, remember?"

Teal'c looked perplexed. These Tau'ri never ceased to amaze him.

"Could they be terrorists," asked Daniel Jackson, "we hear all these stories about missing Russian suitcase nukes in the media."

"A suitcase nuke might explain a 30 kiloton nuke, Daniel," said Sam, "but nowhere near the 1.3 megaton level. General, isn't there any satellite imagery?"

"Unfortunately not, major," the general replied, "since the end of the cold war and break up of the Soviet Union that area is of little strategic interest to us. A KH-11 satellite used to cover it but its orbit was shifted in the early 90's so it could monitor Iraq instead."

"I still think it's Jeltsin, sir," O'Neill said, "anyone mad enough to grope female ass on television is capable of anything."

"Well, unfortunately for you, colonel," Hammond said as he leaned back smiling in his chair, "the Russians not only vehemently deny any involvement, they also contacted us 10 minutes ago saying that their seismometers came up with the same results. They also asked for SG-1's involvement. Apparently they were very impressed the way you guys handled their Stargate debacle."

"I was under the impression that they would rather forget we ever existed," O'Neill said surprised, "just so we didn't remind them of that incident. Still, why are we involved, general?"

The general punched up something on his computer and images started to appear on a large viewscreen.

"Because some 45 minutes prior to the first earthquake NORAD detected what appeared to be an large unidentified flying object, heading for a trajectory that would put it straight in the target area."

"OK, that would explain it," Jack nodded as he studied the data, "damn, I hate it when the snake heads pay us a visit "

General Hammond then punched up some additional data and the view screen displayed several aerial photographic images.

"These came straight from a Russian MiG 25 photo reconnaissance bird making a high pass over the target area less then 5 minutes ago. As you can see, there are several craters here, here and here, all showing blast damage akin to the detonation of large numbers of explosives."

"Or nuclear devices," added major Carter.

"Indeed, "continued general Hammond giving her a nod, "what interested us and the Russians most was this photograph though."

SG-1 studied the photograph closely.

"What should I see," asked O'Neillto the others.

"Is that what I think it is," said Daniel Jackson to focused to reply .

"It looks like debris," said Samantha Carter, "debris from an UFO."

"Did it somehow crash," asked Daniel, "that could explain the explosions.

"No, Daniel Jackson, it did not crash on your world," said Teal'c and pointed to area's of interested on the screen, "it landed and was destroyed in battle. It would appear that somebody awaited its arrival and then destroyed it."

"Case closed," asked O'Neill hopeful.

"Well, no Jack, "said Daniel, "because then the question becomes, who destroyed that thing?"

"It's never easy," sighed the colonel shaking his head, "that would be to much to ask."

"OK SG-1," said the general, "you are to go this site ASAP and investigate it. You are to determine with who and what we are dealing with. Because speed is of the essence here the Russians and us have deemed it necessary to reactivate the Russian gate. You are to proceed through the Stargate to an intermediate location. Upon which we will deactivate our Stargate and the Russians will activate theirs. You will dial home again and arrive at the Russian location. From there you can be at the site in Turkmenistan in little more then 2 hours, courtesy of the former Red Airforce."

"Can that be done," asked Daniel to Sam.

"Theoretically it should work," said major Carter, "it got us on Antarctica the last time. The Russians were always careful not to activate their gate when ours was up, to prevent their personnel from accidentally arrive here."

"Not careful enough, remember," said Jack, "if you don't mind me asking, general, why the rush? Its clear that whatever happened has happened. 2 hours, 10 hours, it should all still be there, right?"

"The rush, colonel, is that NORAD has detected another unidentified flying object in deep space It's heading for Earth on a similar course that would put it also in Turkmenistan. Only thanks to the deep space sensors the Tok'ra recently provided were we able to detect it. Its still in the outer solar system. Its ETA would put it there in less then an hour before you can arrive, colonel. Let's go people!"

"And I was so looking forward to busting some snakeheads on some dead end world," Jack sighed as he and the others got up.

* * *

(The now)

"He's clearly gone mad," snorted Vegeta after hearing Belmovekk's story, "he claims to be 4000 years old, talks to gods, claims destinies have talks with him."

"Well, you should know, Vegeta," grinned Piccolo, "you've seem to have had several chats with destiny yourself."

"Don't test me, Namek," said an angered Vegeta, "or we'll finish that fight that we once started."

Piccolo smiled but said nothing. Vegeta's inability to become a Super Saiyan was like a open sore to the Saiyan prince and it was nice to be able to rattle his chains from time to time. Belmovekk's story however had been incredible. He claimed he had been a contemporary of both Goku and Vegeta, only to somehow end up on another world 4000 years in the past. Where he had entered service as a sorcerer to a god. To be honest, considering the stuff he and Goku's merry band had been through it didn't even sound that strange. It also helped his case that he illustrated his story with visuals. As he talked Belmovekk held up his right hand and holographic images appeared to illustrate his story.

Still, images could be faked and the trick was in ascertaining whether or not the Saiyan was lying. Piccolo found humans generally easy to read. Except for a certain subspecies called politicians it was easy to see whether or not they were lying. Not only could he hear better then humans, his eyes allowed him to see things which human eyes couldn't see. Like increased flushing when telling a lie. Saiyans were a different matter however. Goku was a terrible liar but it didn't show on Piccolo's senses. Goku just plainly sucked at it. Vegeta generally didn't bother to lie these days. Krillin had told him that he had though on Namek when they were all busy scrambling for the Namekian Dragonballs. Then again, nobody had trusted him anyway so it didn't come as a big surprise either. But this Belmovekk, well he seemed sincere. And at least he wasn't spoiling for a fight.

"What do you mean, you were sent here to aid us," asked a puzzled Goku, "aid us in what?

Piccolo slapped his forehead and sighed. How could that idiot forget! Saiyans!

"Three years from now, in Sydney Australia, at 10:00 in the morning two androids will appear with enormous destructive powers and lay waste to the city. We are all supposedly going to die an horrendous death by their hands. Now do you remember," Piccolo said.

"Oh yeah," said Goku smiling his goofball smile to hide his embarisment, "I kinda forgot when Belmovekk arrived."

Several Z-fighters slapped their foreheads.

While they were busy Vegeta, who up till then had stood apart walked up to the new arrival .

"I know you," Vegeta said, suddenly getting everyones interest, "you are Movekk of the house Rabar. I've seen you with my father when I was little."

Belmovekk raised an eyebrow and scratched his hair.

"I am amazed you remembered, my Prince," he replied.

"You worked for my father, you..." Vegeta's eyes grew a little bigger, "you were of the Royal Household!"

"What is the Royal Household, Vegeta," asked Goku.

"Nitwit," muttered Vegeta in disgust at Goku's ignorance, "there is Saiyan Elite, which is birthright only. And there is Royal Household. We Saiyan Elite tend to look down upon them since anyone could join but only a fool wouldn't recognize that they were almost as good as the Elites. They were the kings private fighting force. Movekk here was of part of an even more elite force inside the Royal Household, the Infiltrators."

"Infiltrators?"

"On this planet you would call them special forces," Vegeta replied as he looked for the right words, "the ones who scout ahead in front of the main invasion forces, who decide which places get hit in which order. The best even command invasion forces themselves. Most of the Warleaders who weren't Elite used to be Infiltrators."

"Hey, you're not scouting us out for invasion, mister," asked Yamcha to the new arrival..

Before he could answer Vegeta continued.

"You were in command of the 7th regiment, Movekk. They weren't on planet Vegeta when Frieza destroyed our world. What happened to them? I had Radditz looking for them but he couldn't find them nor what had happened."

"Radditz? Radditz son of Bardock," snorted Belmovekk, "he could not find his own shadow if his life depended on it."

"You're talking about my brother," Goku objected.

"Why do you care," Krillin asked Goku, "he tried to kill you, remember?"

"He was still my brother,"Goku shrugged at his little friend.

"You are evading the question, Movekk," Vegeta said to the new arrival, "the mental capabilities of Radditz, be it questionable, are irrelevant. They were not on Planet Vegeta when Frieza blew it up yet there existed no records of where Frieza had sent them. What happened to the 7th?"

Belmovekk looked slightly pained, as if remembering a bad memory he would rather have forgotten.

"The reason there were no records with Frieza was because our mission was a secret. Your father sought allies against Frieza and offered the 7th to get some. They are no more, my prince, We had invaded and cleansed a particularly troublesome world for our new allies when we were attacked by the Ginyu force. They wiped us out quicker then it took to do their ridiculous poses. Only four of us managed to make it of the planet. We split up to increase our chances. I was the only one to make it to the rendezvous point. Which is where they ambushed me as well. I don't remember how I made it out but the next thing I woke up and I was on that other world."

"How many worlds have you cleansed of their inhabitants," asked Piccolo. He didn't quite relish the idea of having another Saiyan mass murderer here on this planet.

"To many," said the Saiyan looking very guilty.

"But you feel...remorse," Piccolo asked.

"There are nights when I don't wake up hearing the screams of my victims. But not often," the Saiyan replied.

"So you are not going to horribly kill us like every other Saiyan we've come across," asked Krillin.

"My days of senseless slaughter and mayhem are long gone, little man," the Saiyan smiled a sad smile and looked at Goku again, "what was your name again?"

"Goku. And this is my son Gohan," Goku said and took Gohan by the shoulders, "he's half Saiyan."

"Goku, how come you and Vegeta here did not wipe this place out," Belmovekk asked, "I may be reformed but I am amazed to see you guys here and this planet in one piece."

"Vegeta tried," said Goku giving the Saiyan prince a nod," but we stopped him cold."

Vegeta gave Goku one of his patented death glares but the happy Saiyan ignored it..

"We've had a couple of crazy adventures since and now we seem to be friends."

'We are no such things," exploded Vegeta, "the only reason I haven't obliterated this sorry excuse of a planet is because we have unfinished business, Kakarot. Your life belongs to me and I will determine when and where you will snuff it!"

Goku just smiled. He knew better. Or at least he was simpleminded enough to think he did.

"Anyway," he continued, "I arrived here when I was just an infant and I was raised by humans."

"Some inbred hillbilly in the middle of nowhere, from what I heard," muttered Vegeta, "which would explain quite a lot."

"Vegeta, nobody insults my grandfather," said Goku slightly agitated. Vegeta raised an eyebrow then smirked his annoying Saiyan smirk again. So there was a way to infuriate Goku.

"So, I guess we get to live to fight another day," said Krillin relieved, "this is turning out to be a good day after all."

Then he remembered.

'Shit, what are we going to do about those androids," asked Krillin, "should I keep that day free in my calendar?"

"What is it about these androids," asked Belmovekk, "you guys mentioned them before."

"Some kid came here from the future and told us three years from now a couple of androids would come, kill us all and lay waste to this world," Krillin replied, "in his time they had decimated humanity and he couldn't fight them. So he came back to warn us in an attempt to change history. I think."

"Ah, the old lets go back in time and do a little pre-emptive strike," said Belmovekk, "but would that not mess up history and create a grandfather paradox?"

The Z- fighters gave him a blank look, although Bulma seemed to have understood it.

"What," said Belmovekk, "don't you guys read between exercises? Discuss philosophy? A healthy mind in a healthy body?"

"The mind is an underdeveloped muscle with these guys, " Bulma said after Belmovekk got more blank looks, "it's a good idea though. If that kid is trying to change histroy then maybe we could nip this in the bud by striking at dr. Gero before he builds those androids. Take him out, nothing gets build."

"Hey," said Krillin, "that is actually a good idea."

"Of course," said Bulma smug, "I ain't the brains of this outfit for nothing."

"I could finally turn my attention to getting a girlfriend," smiled Krillin.

'WE WILL DO NO SUCH THING" yelled Vegeta angrily, "I will kill the first person who does such a cowardly thing!"

"Why not," yelled Bulma back at him, "we are talking about the fate of the Earth here! Goku, don't you agree?"

She looked pleadingly at her oldest friend.

"Well, actually Bulma, I'm quite looking forward to the fight," Goku eventually said, "besides, the man hasn't done anything wrong yet."

Bulma slapped her forehead in disgust.

"Saiyans! The idea of a fight turns them on more then a stripclub full of naked women!"

"Hey," remarked Belmovekk, "I thought it was a good idea. I would take the stripclub any day."

"How very... un-Saiyan of you," said Tien surprised.

"Well, when you turn 4000 you'll find that your priorities have changed a bit," Belmovekk grinned and held up a hand to countdown, "a wise man once said, never turn down the chance to take a piss, never turn down a free meal when offered and never miss your chance to get some nookie."

"Oh my God," smiled Yamcha, "that proves it. We are all going to turn in perverts like Kame Senin."

At that they all laughed except Belmovekk who gave everybody the what did I say look. Now that the tension had been broken Piccolo took the word again.

"Alright, nobody can be forced to come. Those without the confidence can stay at home, nothing will be said. For those of you who will, it suffices to come an hour beforehand."

"Yeah," said Goku and raised his fist into the air, "lets kick some android ass for the future!"

"Kakarot! This changes nothing between us," said Vegeta, "don't let being a Super Saiyan get to your head cause one day I will defeat you. I am after all you superior."

And with that Vegeta lifted off in a blaze of white chi and left for what passed as home these days, Capsule Corp..

"So what are you going to do, Belmovekk," asked Yamcha after Vegeta had gone out of sight, "are you going to train with us and with whom?"

"You could stay with us," said Bulma, "we have plenty of space. I'd love to hear more of that crazy story. And Vegeta's there as well."

The Saiyan sorcerer looked pensive for a while.

"I don't know yet," he said eventually, "but thanks for the offer. I don't think Vegeta would be to pleased if he saw me again so soon or all the time for that matter."

"Now you must come for sure," laughed Yamcha, "just to piss Vegeta off. You'd think he be glad to have a fellow Saiyan in the house."

"Vegeta has a lot of anger in his heart," said Belmovekk.

"Yeah, even though you should be surprised he could fit it in besides his enormous ego," Yamcha smiled.

" I may be the new guy here but I can see he's very pissed of that he's not a Super Saiyan yet. He's mad as hell that somebody else has succeeded where he has failed. Now that he has seen several other Super Saiyans he will not be great company until he can face us as an equal. And knowing him that's probably not going to be enough either. I think I'll stay on my own for a while. Gives me a chance to get to know this world a bit. Is gold an accepted currency here?"

"Not as such," said Krillin, "but you can exchange it for local currency at some banks or jewelers. Try dollars, they will get you everything you need even in the worst of places."

Belmovekk smiled.

"Good, then I will be able to find a place to stay for a while. I think I will go and explore this world for a while. It looks remarkably similar to where I came from. I will look you up from time to time for some training or planning."

"You'll always be welcome at my house," said Goku.

"But be sure to give us a call first," said Gohan, "or mum will throw us a major tantrum! You know how she is about uninvited guests, dad."

"I will do that, Goku," Belmovekk smiled, "I'm very interested to learn some of your techniques. Trade you for some of my moves?"

"Belmovekk, we're talking Goku here," said Krillin and put his arm around Goku, "this big lug stayed away from Earth for a whole year just so he could learn a new technique. There will be no stopping him. "

Belmovekk laughed and leaped up into the air.

"Expect me when you see me," he called. Then unlike any Z-fighter he did not launch himself at breakneck speed with his chi, but he started to blur and changed into a giant falcon. The big bird gave a farewell cry and headed out towards the west.

"Whoa, the power to shapeshift, "said Goku surprised, "an interesting technique indeed."

"Don't drool Goku, its impolite," said Krillin.

"Amazing," said Piccolo," his chi is completely gone now. I cannot sense it. Its like he really turned into a bird.

"For his sake I hope he doesn't get sucked into a jumbo jet, "said Yamcha, "those 747 's can be quite nasty. I nearly had a run in myself once."

The others looked funny at him.

"I did!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

**'A thirsty job but somebody's gotta do it'**

* * *

Location, a Russian army Mi-8 helicopter flying low over Turkmenistan.

Two hours, they said, two hours, " muttered colonel Jack O'Neill ashe squirmed int he uncomfortable seat, "Russians!"

"Well, You have to admit, Jack, the MiG-25 ride was kinda cool," Daniel replied, kinda liking the idea of seeing Jack squirm to off balance his own discomfort.

"It was fun indeed, Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c, the Jaffa not phased at all by the mode of travel, "although a bit more primitive then the craft of your government."

"It got us here, Teal'c. That's what matters," Daniel countered.

"Perhaps," the Jaffa shrugged.

"Well, I for one felt 10 years older when that Russian pilot thought it was funny to do a few mach 3 barrel rolls," O'Neill, his stomach starting to act up again at the memory.

"They just tried to impress us, sir," said major Samantha Carter, "its not often the Russian airforce has to use four MiG-25's as taxi for three Americans an one Jaffa."

"I know, Carter, I know," O'Neill replied, not liking to be chided over, "I just don't feel comfortable sitting in something that was made by people who were less sober then I am."

"But you don't drink, sir?"

"Precisely!"

Teal'c looked a bit puzzled, then tentatively made O'Neills drinking gesture.

"See, even Teal'c gets it," O'Neill said and pointed to the Jaffa.

Daniel meanwhile was studying the latest aerial photographs given tothem a few hours ago when they had exited the Russian gate..

"A penny for your thoughts, Daniel," O'Neill asked.

"I'm just wondering, Jack, what kind of people use nuclear devices as handgrenades."

The idea had crossed Jacks mind as well and he didn't like the answer. So when unable or unwilling to come to an answer he started fidgeting with his gun.

"Well, if memory serves me right the Pentagon was studying nuclear handgrenades in the 50's and 60's. Right, Carter," he said givng a help me out look at Sam.

'There were some studies, sir," the blond major replied, "but nothing workable ever came out of it. Certainly not something in the megaton range."

"Maybe the Goa'uld have something in that range," Daniel suggested looking at Teal'c.

"Master Bra'tac once told me that Jaffa weaponry used to include such weapons, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, "until they proved too troublesome when a group of Jaffa rebelled. So the Goa'uld removed such weapons from their arsenal and rely on orbital bombardment instead when such firepower is necessary."

"Aren't we the lucky ones," O'Neill said, "I for one don't relish the idea of somebody lobbing a nuke to my head. Speaking on nukes, how are we on radiation?"

"So far nothing has come up, sir," Sam said as she checked their geigercounter, "it has either all settled down or it wasn't all that great to begin with."

"Clean nukes? Is that possible, Carter," O'Neill asked.

"Well, yes, sir. If you use a specific weapons grade uranium and the bombard it with-"

"Enough, Carter," Jack, said, cutting the major off, "I just wanted to know if its possible. I don't need the science lecture."

"Sorry sir."

The Russian copilot turned around and said something in Russian while holding up two fingers.

"I guess that means two minutes," Jack said, he'd been in enough helicopter rides to recognize that without needing translation, "let's saddle up, people."

Every SG-1 member for this mission was equipped with a camera and communication transmitter to their helmoets so the SGC could have a direct feed via satellite as to what was happening.

"OK, here it goes," said O'Neill as he put his headgear on, "general, can you receive us?"

"_Loud and clear, colonel," _came Hammonds voice in their earpiece monitor, "w_hat's your situation?" _

"Still on route, sir, but almost there," Jack replied, "it took the Russians a little longer then expected. Have there been any developments?"

"_NORAD has informed us that a third unidentified flying object has entered Earth at the same location, some 45 minutes ago. Russian air-defence command claimed that something was detected on their radars leaving eastwards. They claimed it flew at mach 3.5 across Southern Siberia._

"That's quite fast, sir," Sam said, "any idea where it went?"

"_They said they could only track in intermittently and that it went towards the Pacific north of Japan. We had an AWACS from Anchorage on route to Okinawa but it couldn't confirm their claim."_

"Russian radar has degraded a bit since the breakup, general," Jack said, "I wouldn't bet my life on it."

"_I know, colonel, NORAD has been put on a higher alert just in case. Best speed, colonel."_

"Thank you general."

The Russian Mi-8 helicopter started its descent. The members of SG-1 readied their weapons.

"OK, people, this will be the first site," O'Neill said, "The first UFO touched down here. Later we will move on the second location. Let's do this."

The Russian helicopter touched own. The crew chief opened the door and SG-1 disembarked. The pilots then proceeded to shut down their bird.

Outside the terrain looked like a fifties nuclear test site. One huge crater now the most dominant feature but the others were pretty impressive as well.

"Those are some big ass craters," commented O'Neill looking around, "any sign of radiation or fallout, Carter?"

"Negative sir, this is as clean as the site of any normal explosion," she said as she put away her geigercounter, "it doesn't appear that any nuclear device was ever used."

"But normal explosives don't do this amount of damage, Carter," Jack said, "this looks like the epicenter of Hiroshima. I may not be mister science but I do know that you need a hell of a lot of explosives to make such a crater. And that one over there is even bigger!"

"I do not understand it either, sir," Sam said lost for words herself, "It doesn't make sense. Teal'c, does this look like any Goa'uld weaponry you've ever seen?"

"Not that I'm familiar with, major Carter. The weapons master Bra'tac mentioned maybe. But evenhe had never seen them. I know from my time as first prime to Apophis that he did possess certain powerful doomsday weapons. But they have a much bigger effect. They are also meant as a last resort. To deny the enemy use of that which he had managed to take."

"That sounds so Goa'uld like," said O'Neill, "if I can't have it, no one can."

"Precisely, O'Neill," Teal'c replied without noticing Jack's sarcasm.

"Shall we check out the remains of the first UFO," said Daniel after Sam had taken some soil samples, "if the crater doesn't tell us much, may be the debris will?"

"Good thinking, Daniel. Lets go," Jack said

The SG team left the crater's edge. Meanwhile the Russian crew had a smoke outside of their machine. O'Neill gave them a quick glance to see if anyone was taking a liquid libation as well. Luckily nothing liquid seemed to be consumed except tea.

The alien ship was heavily damaged and looked far beyond salvaging. It was also circular. Beside it lay the bodies of several dead aliens.

"Hey look, a flying saucer," O'Neill couldn't help but remark, "although not so flying anymore."

"Well, it certainly looks circular," said Daniel. He knelt next to one of the bodies to examine it.

"This doesn't look like a Goa'uld, guys. Or a Jaffa for that matter. In fact I've never seen an alien like him before."

"Same here," said major Carter kneeling next to another.

"I've never seen such aliens before either, Daniel," said Teal'c, "these looked like they were killed with a sharp blade."

"The fact that some of them are lying in pieces is a dead giveaway, Teal'c," Jack said examing a dead stiff himself, "these guys were gutted."

"I wonder what happened to them," said major Carter.

"From the looks of it, Carter, I'd say they met with the seven Samurai."

"Strange that these bodies survived the ship being blown up, " Daniel said.

"It would appear that their armor protected them, said major Carter.

O'Neill tugged his the barrel of his gun underneath one alien's armor. It came along as he pulled the gun up.

"Flexible stuff," he said impressed, "It stretches like rubber but can survive Hiroshima level blasts. If the Area 51 types get their hands on it they have us clad like that in no time."

"It would be a great discovery, sir," Sam agreed.

"I bet ya it would," O'Neill remarked as he got up.

"It didn't stop the sharp blade though," remarked Teal'c, "so maybe its does have its limits."

"Still, could be helpful though," O'Neill said, "it might stop a staff weapon cold, we don't meed that many Jaffa armed with swords."

Meanwhile Daniel had started to examine some of the ship's remains.

"It doesn't have much markings," he said, "I'm so used to Goa'uld or Tok'ra ships being covered in writings on the inside. This one is almost devoid of anything."

"Speaking of those markings, what do they say, Daniel," Jack asked as he followed his friend inside, "those Goa'uld markings I mean? I've always wondered about them."

"Oh, the usual you would find on Egyptian temples, Jack," Daniel replied without looking back, "the pharaohs inscribed them with their great deeds and accomplishments. Your average Goa'uld having a bigger ego, I'm sure you get the picture."

"Quite," Jack nodded, "so this looks very un-Goa'uld then?"

"That or whoever owned this ship didn't have a need to constantly let everybody know he was some sort of big Kahuna."

"Either that or he _knew _he's big fish," Jack suddenly realized, "a very big one."

"Well, whoever he was, he's either gone or dead," said major Carter, "maybe we should move on to the second landing site. I'm sure the area 51 cleaning crews can sort things out here."

"I think so too, Carter," O'Neill agreed, "did you get all this, General?"

"_Loud and clear, colonel. The team is already on its way. Best go to site 3 first. It landed last and is slightly closer."_

SG-1 returned to the Russian helicopter. The Russian crew got up, extinguished their cigarettes, put away their thermos flasks with tea and went inside to start up the Mi-8. The rotor blades started to whir and in a cloud of dust the Mi-8 lifted off.

"Site 3 is just 3 miles north of here,," said O'Neill, "with site 2 just to the west. Let's keep things sharp, people."

The Russian helicopter was there in no time and touched down near a small crater. In it lay a small ballshaped object, some 1.5 meters in diameter.

"It looks like an escape pod," said Daniel Jackson as SG-1 congregated around the craters edge.

"An escape pod that can travel at FTL speeds, Daniel," said major Carter, "this thing was detected in the outer solar system and arrived here in less then an hour. We don't have anything remotely on it."

"There appears to be some writings on it," said O'Neill, "can you decipher them, Daniel?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel said as he studied the writings, "it could be a name, it could also just be a serial number. Without a Rosetta stone your guess is as good as mine."

"Rosetta stone," Jack asked.

"Yeah, something which gives you the same text in different languages. Like that station where we found that old guy with the four languages, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"You could look inside," major Carter as she descended into the crater, "there is a door here with a porthole."

"What's inside, Carter," Jack asked

"Looks like a seat, sir."

"Just one seat, Carter?"

"It looks like a singleseater, sir."

"I guess mass invasion of the tiny alien critters is out of the question. But where's the occupant, Carter."

"Maybe that bogey that showed up on the Russian radar," Daniel suggested.

"And he'd leave his ship behind," O'Neill snorted, "what do you think he is, Superman?"

"Maybe he had a jetpack," Daniel suggested but earned a disapproving look from Jack.

"Ever tried sticking your head out of the window at mach 3, Daniel? Maybe you could ask that Russian pilot. Although that would probably mean asking for a replacement. So better disregard my suggestion, Daniel. Carter, any idea what caused this crater?"

"Best guess, sir, I'd say it is the standard way for this thing to land sir. There doesn't appear to be any landing gear. This thing just smacks down at great speed causing the crater."

"Must make for one a hell of a ride. I'd hate to be the one sitting in one when one of these babies comes down crashing," O'Neill shuddered at the thought alone, "can you open it, Carter?"

"There doesn't appear to be a switch, sir," she said after more examination, "maybe its remote controlled."

"What, Like a garage door?"

"Something like that, sir."

"O'Neill," yelled Teal'c from behind them. While the ohers were busy with the craft he had studying the ground.

"What's up, Teal'c," Jack asked.

"There were several people here," Teal'c said and pointed to marks on the ground, "I guess some 8 or 9."

"People, not aliens, right," O'Neill asked cautiously.

"They do appear to be human like yourself, O'Neill. There's something strange about these tracks."

"What, Teal'c?"

"They appear to arrive and come out of nowhere. As if they came from the air and left that way again. These tracks go that way, then nothing."

"How can that be?"

"Maybe he was wearing that jetpack," Daniel suggested with a slight smile. O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"It does look like the people arrived from the west, O'Neill," Tealç said looking at Jack.

"That's where site 2 is," Jack said. Teal'c nodded.

"Then maybe we should go there, Jack," Daniel said, "this looks like another cold trail. I can't read those markings. We might as well go and look over there."

"I think so too, sir, " said major Carter, "there is little I can do here also. Maybe I could open this back at the SGC with adequate equipment, but not here."

Jack nodded in agreement. This place was colder then site and that had been the oldest site.

"Alright," he said, "general Hammond, do you concur?"

"_Affirmative, colonel, proceed to site 2. Will you take the helicopter?"_

"Nah, we'll go on foot. Its close by. Plenty of time to take the Russian death trap on the way home."

"_Alright, but be careful."_

"Oh, I will, sir."

* * *

"There is another crater, sir." major Carter said as she pointed to another crater with another spherical ship inside, "looks like the same setup." 

"I still can't understand why anyone would build a ship that uses a crash for a landing," O'Neill shuddered, "it's stupid. Let alone painful in the occupant coming down."

"On the contrary, O'Neill," Teal'c said witha look of dreamy admiration in his eyes, "this would make for one hell of an assault landing craft. The explosion of the landing would knock out and confuse the enemy while delivering you right into their midst."

"If you say so Teal'c," Jack said without much conviction, "suddenly that Russian chopper ride doesn't seem so bad."

"There is something else here, look," said Daniel and pointed the other direction.

There was indeed something there, it looked like a large white box.

"Let's check it out, " said O'Neill and SG-1 approached the object, guns at the ready.

"Well, what do you know," Jack said with disbelief in his voice as he recognized the object, "it's a bloody fridge."

"What's an refrigerator doing in the middle of nowhere, Jack," Daniel asked.

"How the hell should I know, Daniel, why don't you check it out?"

He hadn't actually meant for Daniel to do it but the archeologists did it anyway.

"Be careful," said major Carter, "it could be a-"

Too late as Daniel Jackson opened the refrigerator and looked inside

"Are you thirsty, Jack," Daniel asked while still looking inside.

"Sorta, its kind of hot in here," Jack asked surprised.

Daniel grabbed something inside and then threw it towards O'Neill who grabbed it.

"Coca Cola," Jack said as he recognized the soft drinks can, "of all the things. Hey, nicely chilled."

O'Neill popped open the can and took a swig.

"Ah, classic," he sighed, the first swig always tasted the best, "I never liked that new stuff."

Major Carter did not look very amused.

"It could have been a trap sir," she said angrily.

"Relax major," Jack smiled at Sam, "I'm sure Daniel can find you something."

"I can give you a diet, Sam," Daniel grinned.

"Alright, give me that," Sam sighed in resignation, causing Jack to smirk.

"Teal'c, what can I get you?"

"Do you have any fruit juice, Daniel Jackson?"

"It has mango," Daniel replied holding up an unfamiliar can.

"That will be fine," Teal'c nodded and catched the can Daniel tossed at him.

"_SG-1, what the hell are you doing," _came the impatient voice of general Hammond back at the SGC.

"Just having a little break, general," answered O'Neill, "it's a bit dusty here, sir. It's true what they say, sir, things do get better with Coke."

"_We had to go to a lot of troubles to get you there, colonel," _Hammond's voice said in a tone that he was not bloody amused.

"There is nobody here sir," Jack shrugged, "it seems to me that whoever was here took care of whoever, or whatever landed on site 1 and then had a relaxed wait here. Ah, a Coke sure goes down smoothly in this heat. Can we take along cool boxes on our next mission, general?"

"_Get on with the mission, colonel. Oh, and the answer to that question is no."_

"Hey, you guys have you checked out the sell by date on these cans," said major Carter.

O'Neill took a final gulp then checked the underside. It said best before 10-19.

"Do I see this right? Mine says best before 10-19. As October 2019?

"Unless they mean 1919," said Daniel.

"That would make them a bit to old and undrinkable, Daniel. Besides, I think they used bottles back then."

"But 2019 would put it into the future," said major Carter, that would mean-"

"Time travel, Carter," O'Neill groaned, "I know. Damn, I hate time travel! Why can it never be easy?"

O'Neill looked towards Teal'c who was still drinking from his can.

"Don't you have anything to say, Teal'c?"

"I like mango," the Jaffa shrugged.

O'Neill rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright. The break is over, people, "this goes to Area 51. Back to the other ship.

The other ship turned out to be slightly different. For starters it was open. It also didn't have the same markings as the other. It seemed devoid of them. While Teal'c stayed outside the crater the rest of SG-1 ventured into it in order to take a look inside the space ship.

"It would appear that this ship was made for humanoids, sir," said major Carter looking inside. A big man could fit in here."

"So it would seem, Carter. Daniel, can you discern anything about this machine? "

"Not a whole lot, Jack," Daniel shook his head, "there doesn't appear to be any more writings inside then there are outside. Maybe if I go inside I can see something."

"Be careful, Daniel."

Daniel acknowledged O'Neill and stepped inside. For his size there was plenty of elbow space, although Teal'c might have had a little more trouble. Daniel checked around but beyond the buttons it didn't appear that anything had writings on it that could be a clue towards its origin.

"I'm sorry Jack," he eventually said, "there doesn't appear to be anything here except these control buttons. And for all I know it could say on and off."

"Damn, not even a made in Rigel 6 or something?"

"Well, there's a touch screen here on the door. I could press some buttons to see if it turns on. Then we could learn some more."

"Tempting, but let's not do that, Daniel, for all we know it launches you towards Pluto and then we have to pester the Tok'ra to come and rescue you again. Better to come out of it, let the Area 51 boys work out a sweat favoring this thing out."

Meanwhile major Carter was on here knees examining the underside of the opened door.

"Hey, you guys, check this out," she said, "there's some sort of symbol on the door."

"Can you see it Carter," Jack asked as he knelt beside her.

"Not really, sir, maybe if we could lift this door?"

"OK, Daniel, get out, Teal'c, give us a hand."

The Jaffa shouldered his weapon and went to help his team mates lift the door. Which turned out to be surprisingly easy. As the door came up the symbol became visible. It was a black disc with an upside down white arrow on top with a smaller black triangle, also upside down, inside.

Suddenly Teal'c stepped back

"I think I know this symbol," Teal'c said, somewhat disturbed.

That worried O'Neill as he never knew Teal'c to be shaken by anything unless it was something big.

"You know this symbol, Teal'c? Are you sure about it?"

"I think I do, O'Neill. I have never seen it myself. But master Bra'tac once described it to me when he trained me to become first prime to Apophis."

"What is it, Teal'c?"

"The Goa'uld are powerful, but sometimes not always powerful enough. Or sometimes they just lack the necessary manpower or resources to do what they set out to do. Master Bra'tac once said that there once was a world, extremely troublesome, that repulsed attack after attack. Briefing Apophis about the latest defeat Master Bra'tac feared for his life, but he was lucky as he was not in charge of that assault. Apophis seemed shaken as if not knowing what to do. Whatever he tried he could not take this world, but he coveted its resources. He then proceeded to call upon the services of a certain warlord."

"Another Goa'uld," asked Daniel, but Teal'c shook no.

"No, this warlord is not of Goa'uld origin, Daniel Jackson. Apophis ordered master Bra'tac to retreat. Within a week he was ordered to return with a single base ship. The warlord had send his finest force. They met Apophis and received payment. Then they went to the surface. Within 10 minutes all resistance was broken. Within 2 hours every living being on that planet had been killed. The worst part of it was that their number was only five and they didn't carry any weapons but their bare hands."

That shook SG-1. Five beings capable of laying waste to an entire planet with their bare hands..

"This vessel bears the markings of that force, O'Neill." Teal'c said as he pointed at the symbol.

"Do you happen to know the name of this warlord, Teal'c," O'Neill asked.

Teal'c nodded.

"Master Bra'tac called him Frieza."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

**'What a weird place'**

Isn't it strange, thought Belmovekk as he flew over the earth, how is it possible for two worlds to have such a convergent evolution? This world had the same animals and people then the world he'd left. Amazing! Beldin would have loved to theorize about that. At least it made things easier. No need to get aquinted with the local fauna.

There were some big differences though. He had visited a city called Paris. It was a big city. When on the job he preferred big cities. They were anonymous, perfect for getting the feel of a place while going unnoticed. He had become quite bored with traveling large distances as a bird but he didn't yet want to use chi flight yet. The answer he knew from training was using local transport. But since this world was politically fragmented long distance travel required identity papers. Training had taught him that there were usually always individuals willing to supply the right documentation for the right price. All one had to do is find the underworld.

He found the right people all right. Greed was indeed universal. It usually always requires meeting some seedy people in some seedy bar in some seedy district. Money had been exchanged and he had gotten an address. A few hours later he was in the proud possession of an EU passport stating he was Pierre Sandestin, native of Orly, France. And that is where things went pearshaped.

5 minutes after leaving the forgerer Belmovekk discovered he was being followed. And it wasn't even that his shadow was quite inept, he hadn't made mistakes like that in basic training. Which made him an amateur. Probably a robber. It was that his follower felt all wrong. As in non-human. Interesting. So he decided to test him out. He looked over his shoulder and started to walk faster. Mr Wrong started to walk faster as well. He started to run, Mr. Wrong ran as well.

Finally Belmovekk ran into a dead alley. Perfect! He turned around and faced the robber. It was long after dark so he couldn't see his face.

"I always love it when they run," the robber said with a female voice. Female robbers? He knew women had more rights here but still...

"Aren't you going to beg," she said as she walked slowly towards him, "I like it when they beg."

When he finally could see her face he was shocked, although he hid it well. She had yellow eyes and a face that was twisted, animal like. She wasn't a robber, she was a predator.

"Should I beg," Belmovekk smirked and assumed a fighting stance. She looked surprised but then she smiled as well.

"Dinner wants to play? How nice. I could use the exercise," she said. Then she launched herself at him.

It wasn't really a fight. She had above human strength but no technique to speak of. She came at him like a drunken berserker. It only took him one punch delivered to the side of her head and she was out cold. Truly pitiful. Still, she intrigued him so he lifted her on his shoulder and he flew off to find some secluded spot.

* * *

Her head hurt like mad when she woke up and a bright light hurt her eyes, blurring her vision. She tried to reach for her head but her hands wouldn't move. She was strung up by two heavy and sturdy looking chains. She panicked and wrestled with her bonds, but to no avail. Unable to escape the panic eventually subsided and she calmed down to start taking in her surroundings. It would appear that she was being held in an old cold storage cell.

"Ah, the sleeper has awakened," a voice said behind her.

She turned her head around. It was the man she had been trying to attack earlier. He had looked so out of place in his weird looking clothes, unfamiliar with the neighborhood, yet strong enough to make for a tasty snack. Yet, as she suddenly remembered, he had floored her with one punch. And it wasn't because he had good martial arts chops. She had fought martial artists. They were good against other humans, but they lacked the power to take on vampires. Not without different techniques.

Damn! If only she could get get free. She re-examined her bonds and it was only then that she noticed where the bright light came from. A globe of energy hang above her head, floating free in the air shining brightly. Then something clicked in her head.

"Are you a mage," she said, "cause if you are, I'm sorry! If I had known I wouldn't..."

No one in his right mind attacks a mage, witch, wizard or warlock. Not without some serious backup. But before she could finish her sentence she felt great pain. Pain like she had never felt before. It lasted for like an eternity. Then it was over and she panted heavily. The man had moved from behind her to in front of her and sat down.

"That was so you will know what to expect if you don't cooperate," he said and pulled up a chair, "now, let's talk."

* * *

The interrogation had gone smoothly. There were some failures to communicate, mostly because of gaps in his knowledge, but the occasional stimulation of nerve endings kept her compliant and talkative. He had learned quite a lot.

Originally he had thought she was some alien masquerading as human but she turned out to be an indigenous form of life. That is if you count demons as indigenous. They usually had their own dimension. The fact that they had crossed over into this realm and had a foothold even wasn't good. He liked it even less to learn that she was half human. Bad enough that demons made this their home, even worse that they mingled with humans. Who strangely enough didn't seem to notice that demons even existed in their world. That is, most of them.

She called herself a vampire and she and her kind operated underneath the radar of humanity as it were, preying on mankind. They had no means of procreating other then sucking a human dry of all their blood and then turning him, a process which killed the host but allowed a demon to live inside its body. Truly insidious.

Even though they viewed humans as mere cattle, they feared being noticed by them. Although they had a low opinion of human law enforcement they feared other branches of their government, always afraid something called secret government services were after them. That and something called the Slayer. She had experience with neither. The Slayer was supposed to be a mythical warrior, a champion of humanity. It sounded too much like folklore and myth.

Secret branches of government doing secret things however, that he understood all to well. He had been in that business. At one point she even believed he was part of such an organization. He tortured her some more to find out her methods to operate under the radar of human society. They might prove useful. To bad she hadn't existed for that long yet, barely 30 years. Her MO consisted mostly of moving from city to city every 4 or 5 months and robbing her victims to fund whatever she needed. Often getting the necessary paperwork to get by. If you think about it, for a demon species that tended to look down upon humans as food and thought itself superior it was a pathetic existence.

He had asked her how her kind had come into this world. Of that she knew little. There were those who knew the lore but she had never been that interested in it. She did know of places, called Hellmouths, where more of her kind and others congregated. They were also dangerous places where the fabled Slayer was supposed to be. The biggest of them was said to be active on the other side of the world. Interesting, he should check it out when he had some time.

Having gotten almost everything from her what he needed to know he asked her how her kind could be killed. It took a new round of torture, quite a lot actually but he got carried away. She just repulsed him which lead to him into getting a bit enthusiastic. By then she begged to die. Which wasn't good. This was supposed to be about getting information, not opening that chapter of his life again. Not after he had sworn not to.

It turned out beside the usual Saiyan means of killing things, wood through the heart, sunlight and something called holy water also did the trick. Active places of worship scared them off, as did some religious paraphernalia. And a vampire could not enter a private dwelling unless invited. Since he had neither of these things he settled for some good old fashioned Saiyan means. He charged a small energy attack, powerful enough to kill her but not to blow up the building, then killed her. To his amazement she didn't blow up into tiny bits but crumbled to dust. At least it was less messy he thought at first. Then he noticed the dust everywhere. Just as messy.

OK, what now? He had scoured various public libraries since for history texts and found plenty. But none had ever mentioned vampires and demons and Hellmouths. Maybe it was time for another round to see if these things ever appeared in some form. Surely these things couldn't go unnoticed in a society which seemed fairly open and inquisitive.

"_It may be wise to visit the god of this world afterwards,"_ a dry voice inside Belmovekk's head said.

"_Its you again," _he answered, "or are you the opposite? _You guys always sound the same whenever I get to hear you."_

"_Who else would put up with you," _said the voice dryly_, "once you are done reading, it will be good manners to visit the local god since you are in his backyard. Besides, he's bound to know something the others don't. He's very good at watching."_

"_He doesn't sound that powerful then! Is he only present in spiritual form like Aldur and the others?_

'_It's not always about power, Belmovekk, you should know that by now. And no, his is a physical presence. He's not what the people of this world think he is though. Now be nice and pay your respect. And please don't blow up anything beforehand." _And with that remark the presence was gone.

What's the universe coming to if even Necessities have attitudes?

He went to the roof of the abandoned warehouse he had been using to interrogate the vampire and tapped his scouter. It turned up a world view giving various powerlevels. It would seem Goku's merry band of brothers had disbanded throughout the world.

There was Vegeta's powerlevel, the proud prince of 2.5 Saiyan subjects these days. Now residing on the westcoast of what he now knew was the United States, premier nation of this world. The Sons on the other hand were in what the maps said was China, together with the Namek. The Namek could be a problem though. He seemed to be the smart one. Smart ones were always trouble. Stupid ones were rarely trouble unless they considered themselves smart.

The humans were also scattered. One was with Vegeta, one somewhere in that great ocean to east, probably on an island and the last one was not that far from Goku. There were a lot of other powerlevels, mostly in the 100 range. With the average human powerlevel being 5 the bigger ones must be those vampires and demons. Look at that, the vampire was right. They did congregate around certain spots. With a massive congregation on the westcoast of those United States.

There, he found him. It must be this worlds God. The only other sufficiently big powerlevel on this world not present in Goku's merry band. Bigger then the demons, yet strangely enough smaller then the humans of Goku's group. Then again, the Necessity did imply this God's strength was not in his powerlevel so it would stand to reason he could be outclassed by a few good men. Maybe he was a schemer and he had his fingers in about a dozen pies at once. The voice was right. Strength isn't always the be all. The intelligent fighter can beat the strong one if he's smarter. The guy sure seemed to live high up though. Higher then even the highest mountain. Belmovekk chuckled. Maybe Heaven was closer to earth then people here believed.

* * *

Flying as a bird certainly has it's advantages, like stealth, but speed or height were just not one of them thought Belmovekk. He never understood why the other sorcerers always preferred to fly as birds. Even Beldin who had become fairly adept at the art of chi manipulating preferred his bird form. Sure it was stealthy enough, but there was nothing like the pure thrill of flying yourself, the wind blazing through your hair and a wake of pure chi in your trail.

But stealth was more or less of the essence in an unknown environment so he continued to beat his wings. At least he had the smarts to use local transport for most of the journey. The fastest mode of travel on this world was air travel and was he in luck that a high speed service existed between Europe and the United States.

So in the end he found himself traveling first class at twice the speed of sound on board of Concorde. After all, from time to time one has to travel in style. At least, that was what the humans called it. Personally he'd called it a small cramped tube with small cramped chairs full of not so craped fat people. At least the good looking female flight attends served that fine bubbly wine. He must introduce Belgarath to it once he got home, he'd love it.

Further research on vampires and demons didn't deliver much tangible result. Apparently people here didn't believe such beings existed, let alone in their midst. There was however a massive volume of fiction about such creatures, or non-fiction of disreputable standing that did deal it. Lots of it. It varied greatly with many different descriptions on how they behaved or on how to kill these creatures. This indicated that that there was a subculture that knew of these beings. There was also massive volumes of material of disreputable standing that dealt with non-terrestrial life, people claiming to meet aliens, people being kidnapped by aliens, people getting anal probed (what the...?). He knew from a fact from when he was still in the Royal Household that this was a very minor and uninteresting part of this galaxy. So chances were that most alien interaction being reported was more likely to be of demonic nature. Still, those grey aliens sounded remarkably like Asgard. And you don't want to mess with the Asgard.

The flight was uneventful although it did introduce him to something called the in flight movie. Basically a recorded play with better stages and props then at a theater . Belmovekk had usually fallen asleep at every play he'd ever been to so even a recorded one was no exception. Upon arrival in JFK he took an internal flight. Where Europe had been divided in several small political entities, this Unites States had the advantage of being vast and little to no checks for internal flights. This aircraft was not so fast as the Concorde, yet just as cramped inside. It was still preferable to beating your own wings. That had to wait for the final stretch. Still, better a short distance then a huge trek.

Belmovekk had to fly for a day from the local airport before reaching a strange thin tower. It was only because he was in bird form and expecting something did he see it. It went up in the sky for countless kilometers. Some local people, natives by the look of it, lived near its base. This must be it, he thought. He landed and changed back into Saiyan form.

It was a strange tower, way to thin be able to support such an impossible high structure. It went high up into the clouds but it left no shadow upon the earth. It was very hard to see in Saiyan form. If you didn't look for it you would pass it by not even noticing it. Must be a form of passive defense. Stealth magic probably, or an illusion. Maybe even a compulsion to ignore.

Only a condor could reach it up there and they weren't that common here. He'd have to fly it his preferred way. Which suited him just fine. As he was approaching the house of a God he might as well do it in some real style. He launched himself into the air in a blaze of white chi. In no time he went up, passing a substructure along the way which seemed to be inhabited. He'd' have to check that out later.

The tower finally ended and flared into what seemed to be a very large dish. Belmovekk made a graceful turn above the final structure and landed between two rows of palmtrees. At the end of the palm rowed lane stood somebody. It was a very old looking green man, much like the Namek that was with the Saiyans. The old man was looking very much his age and leaned on a heavy wooden stick. Was this a god? Gods age here? He sure didn't look like a god though. But then again Aldur sure didn't look like a god either if he rode that rickety cart of his. Maybe the old look was to exude an aura of wisdom. Sometimes you were more apt to respect an old man more for his wisdom then a young one. No matter, he'd better be polite. Polite was always good. Polite is cheap, it didn't cost anything and it made almost everyone happy. So Belmovekk dropped onto a knee and bowed.

"Are't thou the god of this world," he asked in that flowery speech the gods seemed to prefer, "my name is Belmovekk and I bring thee greetings and tidings of my lord and master, the God Aldur and his father, UL." That went well, Belmovekk hoped. The green god of earth just looked a bit surprised. Maybe it didn't went so well?

"Well, thanks," said the earth God, "although I must confess I've never heard of this Aldur."

Belmovekk scratched behind his ears.

"Our world seems to be some sort of special case, we have uh, eight gods."

"It must be very crowded place then," the Earth god smiled.

"You can say that again, uh, how must I address thee, great celestial one?"

"Please leave out the thee's and thou's. My name is Kami-Sama. But you can call me Kami as most do."

An informal god. How refreshing Belmovekk thought as he got up.

"So what brings you here, Belmovekk," Kami asked as he gestured Belmovekk to walk with him, "we don't get many Saiyans here, except Goku, and beside him they don't seem to be friendly."

"My race can be a pain in the, uh, behind, Kami," Belmovekk replied trying to keep up with Kami who apeared to be fitter then he looked, "I know, I used to be like them."

"So what happened?"

"I mellowed out overf the centuries."

Kami looked a bit startled.

"Are you an immortal?

"No, Kami, I'm not really immortal. I've become a sorcerer and disciple to my lord and master, Aldur. As such I don't seem to die of old age. I don't seem to age much at all."

"You must be very fortunate indeed."

Belmovekk sighed.

"At times its overrated, watching friends die of old age, seeing everything change around you but you. But I always have my fellow brothers. I'd gladly give my life for them."

Belmovekk halted and so did Kami near the edge of the bowl.

"Kami-Sama, the world I come from is not a happy one. It has become the battleground between two rivaling Necessities. Once, during the formation of the universe, an accident happened that shattered the original purpose of the universe. Where there was once one purpose there were now two. The universe cannot progress until these two Necessities have settled which one will dominate. They cannot take the field directly lest their combat shatters apart the very universe itself. So they've chosen to select a world and fight their war there by proxy. They each have chosen vessels of their liking that will be their champion and their battles will determine the outcome. To put insult to injury these battles have been preprogrammed through a series of prophecies. The dark prophecies guide the so called the Child of Dark, our prophecies guide the Child of Light. The Child of Dark has been one of the gods of our world, the mad god Torak. His twisted will rules half the world I live in. He likes it when his perverted priests perform human sacrifice. The Child of Light which our order serves has no fixture and varies from engagement to engagement as it awaits the birth of its final champion."

* * *

High on his little planet in the afterlife a being called Kaio-Sama listened to the entire conversation. He curiosity always did rival that of his poor sense of humor. He wasn't a real God. His kind merely dwelt in the afterlife, just like demons kept to Hell. Through some strange fluke over time they found that dead souls came to both of their realms after dying They had set up a system whereby the dead could be sorted. They kept and trained the best and most noble ones, the absolute worst they gave to the demons in the Hell dimensions to torment as part of their deal. Most were sent back to reincarnate. To do that they kept tabs on all the various Gods that inhabited the universe or watched over planets. This was the system as they thought the great creator wanted it to be. Not that they had ever seen him. All they knew he was named UL. And that weird Saiyan just mentioned his name. So for the remainder of that conversion Kaio-Sama was all antennae.

* * *

"This is all very interesting," said Kami after hearing the full story, "momentous actually. But how does this titanic struggle impact us."

Then he suddenly realized something.

"There will be no meeting between this Children of Light and Dark here I hope," he asked anxiously.

"Were it only that simple, Kami," Belmovekk replied looking over the edge, "I was contacted by the Necessity that my master, the god Aldur, serves. Apparently something has both Necessities so spooked that have set aside their struggle for a while since we just had one of those meetings. They've realized that something greater is at stake. Something which shakes even them to their very core."

"And what may that be?"

"The birth of a new cosmic accident right here on this very world."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four **

**'Of Saiyans and Hellmouths'**

AN:_ This chapter will be the last to feature SG-1. Please remember, I only kept them in for exposition's sake, as to the grander scheme of things. It's probably also a little to good compared to the next chapter. For those liking the SG-1 angle, they will return in Part 2A. Big Time  
_

* * *

SGC Briefing Room. Earth 12-10-98

"So general, have you read our report," asked colonel O'Neill entering the briefing room, followed by the rest of SG1.

"So much so that I asked the Tok'ra for intelligence," general Hammond replied and pointed towards the Tok'ra Selmak present, also known as Samantha Carter's father Jacob.

"Dad," she said and hugged him, "it's good to see you again."

"Same here, Sam," Jacob/Selmak replied

O'Neill shook the man's hand. He didn't trust the Tok'ra but of all of them at least he trusted Jacob-Selmak to level with him. Plus he didn't bring Anise along which was always a good way to score points with him.

"So how's Tok'ra business, these days," he said.

"Same old, same old, Jack," Jacob/Selmak smiled, "the Goa'uld keep us busy with plots within plots within plots. So what's this business you have summoned me for? Have you managed to piss off another Galactic power? The Goa'uld weren't enough trouble for you, so you decided to lock horns with Frieza as well?"

"You know about him," said Jack taken aback. They knew! Of course, why should it surprise him. These Tok'ra gave new meaning to the words need to know only.

"If you knew why didn't the Tok'ra tell us about him then," he said accusingly, "more Tok'ra games?"

"On the one hand it wasn't a conscious decision of our part, Jack," Jacob/Selmak replied calmly, "if he had cropped up we would have told you. On the other we didn't want you guys going about making a lot of racket and looking under rocks you shouldn't be looking under."

"So it was a conscious Tok'ra decision," Jack said as he let himself fall into a chair, "I knew it! You guys give new meaning to the word duplicity."

"We wouldn't have kept you in the dark if there was a need to know., Jack"

"And they call me paranoid, O'Neill said to his team mates.

Jacob/Selmak just raised his shoulder in a whatever gesture and turned to general Hammond.

"General Hammond, tell me what you know about this Frieza and I'll fill in the blanks."

General Hammond then preceded to tell Jacob/Selmak about what had happened in Turkmenistan and showed him pictures of the blast craters, the wreckage of the first alien ship, the 2 sphere ships and the dead aliens, followed by what Teal'c had told them.

"I can also give you the first results of the Area 51 team," Hammond said afterwards, "besides the DNA of all the various dead aliens we found remnants of another creature of which we only have a three toed foot. "

The Selmak symbiote did a mental shaking his head in disbelief inside Jacob as he thought about what he'd heard. These Tau'ri had a knack for getting themselves into trouble. Even by not doing anything. So the inner symbiont sighed and let Jacob tell the truth.

"The Tok'ra know this Frieza very well, general," Jacob/Selmak said leaning back, "we know he's a warlord who sells planets to the highest bidder and mercenaries to those who covet worlds themselves. We don't know his exact species, we think he's from another galaxy. But it seems to be a family enterprise. There are records of him and his ancestors going back quite a while. The reason why there are so many inhabitable words with transplanted humans is because they cleaned out so many."

That bit of news made quite a splash as Jacob/Selmak continued.

"He and his family made themselves a nice little empire and the Goa'uld engage their services from time to time. Some 70 of your Earth years ago a grouping of Systemlords banded together and decided to get rid of the Tok'ra by sending this Frieza upon us. There were more of us back then. He ruthlessly tracked us down. A Tok'ra operative infiltrated with a Goa'uld called Thoth managed to warn us so we immediately moved base. Our advance guard had just left when Frieza send his forces upon us. A small fleet of these sphere ships you've found descended on our base at night. The occupants an army of what appeared to be humans with tails. Our weapons were next to useless against them. The greatest disaster came when at the sight of the full moon these beings transformed into giant creatures, akin to Earth apes. Next came a massive slaughter. We stood no chance to these beasts, even their breath was deadly."

"Was it poisonous," asked Teal'c curious.

"No, it exploded on impact," answered Jacob/Selmak, "that day 70 of all Tok'ra were killed. Only we lucky few of the advance relocation party survived."

"Chilling," said O'Neill.

"You haven't heard the most chilling part," Jacob/Selmak continued, "ever since we kept an eye on Frieza's doings. It seems he had a fall out with his former business associates, those humanoids with tails. He personally destroyed their homeworld and race."

"What, he has a fleet big enough to destroy planets," O'Neill asked.

"No, apparently his species can survive in the vacuum of space. His ship went to their planet, he went outside and produced a energy ball that blew up their entire world."

"What! He's a one man planet killer?"

Jacob-Selmak nodded. Jack sat back and mulled it over.

"So what does he seek here on Earth, dad," asked Sam, "did Apophis hire him to lay waste to us?"

"Our best intelligence doesn't know for sure. It could be but its not likely. We did learn that Apophis tried to engage the services of Frieza but couldn't afford the asking price. That was after he suffered a number of defeats against you so he was a bit strapped for funds. We know that none of the Systemlords have hired Frieza in the last 5 years. He went off on business of his own lately, the Systemlords aren't his only clients.. Last thing we heard was that he had gone near a planet called Namek more then a year ago and disappeared. His business seems to be taking a fall at the moment. Nobody seems to be in control, there are even rumors that he is dead."

"And what about this elite force," asked Daniel, "the one Teal'c remembered the symbol of?"

"They were called the Ginyu force," Jacob/Selmak said in response to Daniel, "fearsome warriors able to fire blasts without weapons, capable of leveling entire cities. They were summoned by Frieza to Namek and were never heard of again."

"Maybe we should investigate this planet Namek," said Sam, "is it on the Stargate grid?"

"No, and it wouldn't do you any good, Sam. It's gone."

"What do you mean gone, " Jack said, "gone as in somebody went nuclear and leveled the surface or gone as in somebody turned the planet into a galactic parking lot?

"Gone as in totally obliterated, Jack. Like I said, we try to keep tabs on this Frieza."

"Good riddance it would seem then," Jack shrugged

"Normally I agree, Jack, but why does a ship of the kind used by Frieza end up on Earth. And how does a piece of a three toed foot end up on Earth. Frieza had three toed feet by the way."

"We think that whoever was in control of that ship met his match when he landed here," said Sam, "his men were killed and he himself seems to have been vaporized."

"Again, good riddance," said Jack.

"Normally I would agree, Jack," Jacob/Selmak said and then looked Jack in the eyes, "but Frieza was the strongest being in the Galaxy and maybe beyond. A being that can obliterate planets and was rumored to be able survive blasts that could blow up planets itself. Whoever took care of Frieza may be even a bigger problem and he's still here."

"The Russian radar contact," said Daniel as he sat up, "general Hammond told us an unidentified radar contact was seen heading away from that location."

"He also said it traveled at mach 3, Daniel," said O'Neill ,"no person can survive mach 3 without some form of transport and this guy left his ship behind."

"I said mach. 3.5 colonel," said Hammond, "I also said that our own air defence radar didn't pick up anything."

"Is your air-defense radar configured to detect people," Jacob/Selmak asked the portly general.

"Flying people? As in Superman," said Jack shaking his head.

"Yes, Jack, as in Superman," Jacob/Selmak said back.

"We have some ground radar that can detect people, dad," Sam said, "but our air-defense radar is configured to detect objects."

"That could explain it," Jacob/Selmak nodded, "you don't see what you are not looking for. This Frieza was rumored to possess the skill of unaided flight. He was rumored to be able to fly in the mach ranges."

"What," Jack said having a hard time believing it.

"It does seem logical in a way," said Daniel, "if you can destroy planets and survive blasts that can destroy planets, the power of unaided flight doesn't seem so strange, does it?"

"I'm not buying it," said Jack and got up, "for crying out loud. Superman on Earth? What's next? Spiderman? Daredevil? The Fantastic Four?"

"Isn't that how they call your lucky band of four," smiled Jacob/Selmak.

"Don't you get smart with me, Tok'ra boy," Jack said as he got up and pointed at Jacob/Selmak.

"I'd thought you would react that way," smiled Jacob/Selmak and gave Sam some discs, "so I brought you some footage. Seeing is believing, right?"

The big screen came to life and on it were scenes from a Goa'uld throne room. Then a gaudy Goa'uld sitting on a gaudy throne, flanked by Jaffa guards.

"Who is that," asked Daniel curious.

"That is Baäl," said Jacob/Selmak, "he's a powerful Systemlord, but so far he's kept out of the conflict with Earth. These images were taken more then six years ago."

"There is no sound," Jack asked.

"We were lucky to get these images out," Jacob/Selmak replied, "our operative overheard the whole conversation anyway. Ah, there they are."

A group of people entered the room and Baäl got up from this throne to meet them.

"That's a first," snorted O'Neill, "usually they're more into the 'grovel before me, you measly worm' approach."

"They know better then to that with Frieza," said Jacob and pointed to a small creature sitting in a floating chair, "gentlemen, meet Frieza."

"That insignificant thing is Frieza," said Jack surprised, "he looks like a shrimp. A very ugly purple white shrimp. With horns. But still..."

"Size isn't everything, O'Neill," said Teal'c, "compared to the Goa'uld the Tau'ri are insignificant, yet they have defeated the System Lords often in battle."

"Yeah, but still, Teal'c, come on. Look at that! The supreme warlord of the universe? That?"

"Well, Baäl seems to believe it," said Sam, "look at him, he's fawning all over him."

"But still, Sam, at least the other guy, that big pink slug, now he at least looks the part. Him I believe as a major bad ass. Or even that gay effeminate looking fellow with the crystal on his forehead."

"I don't know sir, he looks kinda cute," Sam said, earning strange looks O'Neill.

"Maybe if you are into the sunlight deprived green haired androgynous Goth look. I expected better from you, Carter," Jack said and pointed towards her, "you need to get out of your lab more."

"They are Frieza's personal lieutenants," said Jacob, "these are the only moving images we have of Frieza. We were very lucky in obtaining them. We lost our operative soon after. Baäl sought Frieza's aid in securing a troublesome world. It fell under the Protected Worlds Treaty the System Lords have with the Asgard."

"They can do that," said General Hammond, "I thought the treaty proved protection against the Goa'uld?"

"It provides protection against direct Goa'uld attack," Jacob/Selmak answered, "not from indirect Goa'uld intrigue. The Asgard couldn't renegotiate the treaty itself. But in case you are wondering, since Earth is the first world in a long time to be added to the list, the Asgard have amended the treaty to include hired third party attack. Now, the next recording should prove more interesting."

This time they were shown the bridge from an Ha'tak attack cruiser hanging in space. On the screen was an image of a planet. Occasionally flashes, as if massive nuclear detonations took place, happened. Baäl watching the screen intently, occasionally leaning over to talk with some of his Jaffa commanders .

"As you can see the attack by Frieza's mercenaries is underway," said Jacob/Selmak, the symbiont talking now, "and Baäl is keeping station outside the star system."

"No doubt maintaining the illusion of plausible deniability," said Jack. Jacob/Selmak nodded in agreement.

After a while the number of detonations lessened. Then the view screen changed and an Asgard cruiser appeared. A 3D hologram of an Asgard appeared and Baäl started talking to him. Even without audio it was clear the Goa'uld was playing innocence personified. After a while the Asgard commander disappeared and the Asgard ship made a U-turn. After it was gone the view screen started showing the planet again.

"That was always a big problem for the Asgard," commented Jacob-Selmak, "they lacked good intelligence and a deep insight into the more base side of the Goa'uld."

"Then why didn't you provide them with these images, dad," said Sam.

"We had to protect our operative, Sam. But after he was killed we did send these recordings to the Asgard. That is why they amended the treaty. But without the audio there was still not enough evidence to place blame with the Goa'uld. Besides, Frieza and Baäl were crafty enough. Like you said, Jack, Baäl claimed plausible deniability by saying he bought the planet from Frieza, not that he paid Frieza to do the job for him."

O'Neill sniggered smugly.

The screen continued as Baäl gave some orders and the Ha'tak started moving again, apparently towards the planet. The recording timeshifted forward to Baäl and his entourage standing in the ring room. Numbers of Jaffa started to transport down. Naturally no egomaniac would go down without a decent egoboosting honor guard. Finally, Baäl, what appeared to be his first prime, and the person taping this recording stepped through the rings..

Now the view shifted to the planet's surface. On the surface was utter devastation, the scene of a warzone. The camera panned around and showed several Jaffa erected a throne and coverings for Baäl from the sun. As soon as they were ready Baäl sat down his godlike ass on the throne.

"All hail the conquering hero," said O'Neill, "he sits as if it was his own victory."

"Well, he did pay for it," said Daniel, "even if he had carried out the attack himself, it's not as if he would ever have lifted a finger himself."

"Indeed not, Daniel Jackson," agreed Teal'c who knew from firsthand experience that the Goa'uld were quick to send their own Jaffa to die in battle but loath to risk their own precious hide.

The scene continued when Baäl and his entourage, including the camera operator started looking to one point in the sky. For a whole minute nothing happened. Then 3 dots appeared in the sky. Who slowly grew bigger into three manshaped objects.

"They appear to be flying under their own power, O'Neill," said Teal'c.

The threesome landed in front of Baäl's entourage. One was a huge bald brute, grinning evilly underneath his evil mustache. The other one had the most ridiculous hair, not only standing up impossibly high, but the bulk of it also hanging down impossibly low, almost to his knees. The third one, and the smallest, also had a ridiculous hair do, all of it standing up straight. But not as freakish looking as the other guy. All three of them wore body armor that covered their bodies, although not the limbs and they all had a small electronic devices on their left ear with a plastic eyepiece protruding in front of their left eye.

"Are those the leaders of Frieza's strike force," asked Sam.

"That _was_ Frieza's strike force, " said Jacob-Selmak.

"You've got to be kidding," said O'Neill looking at Jacob/Selmak, then pointed at the screen, "there is no way that..."

"Hush Jack and watch," replied Jacob-Selmak.

Baäl got up from his throne and met with the smallest alien. They talked for a while, then the small guy said something to the bald guy. Who smiled evilly then made a gesture like giving somebody the finger, only in this case in plural as it also included his index finger.

Behind them a massive flash shone and the camera winked out for several seconds. By the time it came back on a Goa'uld defence screen had flared up to protect Baäl and his entourage from the blastwave that had by now reached them. The winds eventually died down and a large mushroom cloud rose to the heaven in the background. Baäl refrained just from clapping his hands in glee, he seemed that pleased and started talking to the little guy again.

"We believe these aliens to be of the same race that nearly wiped out the Tok'ra 70 years ago," said Selmak's voice this time.

"I thought you said Frieza killed them all," countered Jack.

"Our sources where quite adamant, Jack," Jacob/Selmak, "but it would seem not all were killed. This nasty piece of work was identified as Vegeta. It would seem Baäl was so impressed he offered full employment. Lucky for us Vegeta refused, but he was willing to do a job for him. It would seem he also wasn't impressed by the planet's defenses and he demanded and I quote: to give him a proper job, worthy of his time."

"I now see why the Goa'uld engage this Frieza." said general Hammond, frowning heavily, "such powers are formidable. The Goa'uld are arrogant, but clearly not so arrogant as to not see the wisdom in hiring superior firepower."

"Compared to Frieza these guys were peanuts," said Jacob/Selmak again, "our operative believed that if it weren't for Frieza's wrath this Vegeta would have started working for Baäl..From our analysis of other incidents involving the Ginyu Force our best estimates puts those guys far above these three."

"I still find it hard to believe it," said Jack, massaging his forehead, "flying people lobbing off nuclear level blasts as if they are nothing."

"So I was right when I said it was possible," said Daniel, "and you dismissed me out of hand, Jack."

"Fine, next time I'll believe you," Jack replied edgy, "how was I supposed to know? You are the linguistic and cultural expert. For science I have Sciencegirl here. Don't I always believe you if you say something linguistic and culturally?"

"I think we are missing the point here," said Teal'c, "it appears that this Frieza has landed here. But it would also appear he was killed here. Those remains point to that. There was a big battle, he landed here and died here. The problem is no longer Frieza but the guy who killed him. If somebody takes out the most powerful being in the Galaxy doesn't that make him even more powerful? And he's still on this planet."

"Your absolutely right, Teal'c," said Hammond and looked at Jacobs, "do the Tok'ra have any knowledge of a new power, capable of defeating Frieza?"

Jacob/Selmak shook no.

"I'm sorry, general, our agents only infiltrate the Goa'uld, everything else we try to buy. All we know it was not the Goa'uld."

"Well, since we are still alive maybe whoever it was doesn't mean us any harm," Daniel said getting some weird looks, "whoever did it may actually be friendly."

"For crying out loud," exploded Jack, "Daniel, you don't know that! For all we know the world ends tomorrow. And even if he was friendly forgive me if I want to know the guy who can kill Frieza _and_ lives on _my_ planet!"

"Well, it's not as we're going to find him if we don't even know how he, she or it looks," Daniel said."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can find an it," Jack replied.

"The Russian radar data," Sam said suddenly, "maybe if we correlate the data we could find out where he went. That is assuming he traveled in a straight line."

"You mentioned that before," Jacob/Selmak said, "tell me more.".

"After the battle in Turkmenistan Russian radar picked up something flying impossibly fast, dad," said Sam, "something the size of a man. We dismissed it at first but now..."

"Let's find out," said general Hammond. Major Carter seated herself behind the room's computer and started to punch up data.

"How come our radar cannot see these guys but those more backwards Russian radar can," asked O'Neill as he got up and looked over her shoulders

"Could be many things, sir, " Sam said without taking her eyes of the screen, "maybe because its less advanced then ours so its scans differently. Maybe ours filters out to many variables that the Russian radar doesn't. There."

Major Carter and the rest looked at the big screen showing a map of the Northern hemisphere. It showed a line traveling straight from the site in Turkmenistan to the Pacific.

"Now if we extrapolate from that it should go here..."

The line went all the way from Turkmenistan, China, Japan, the Pacific and crossed the United States Coastline in California somewhere near San Francisco."

"Oh shit," said O'Neill.

* * *

"A new accident," said Kami, "hmm, interesting. Could it be those androids that boy from the future warned us about?"

"You know," said Belmovekk surprised.

"I am Kami, you know. Little does escape me from here," Kami said and gestured over the edge of his Tenka bowl, "besides Piccolo and I are linked. We were once one you know." Belmovekk looked surprised, wanted to say something but decided not to. Kami could not help but smile. People were always a little confused when he told them that for the first time.

"OK," said Belmovekk as if deciding to not press the issue, "anyway, I don't think it's the androids. From what I gathered they got their kicks from terrorizing the Earth. But I rate a character like far Frieza higher on the galactic terror scale. His fun came from blowing up entire planets. He had a bigger scale of operation."

"You know Frieza," Kami said raising a green eyebrow.

"I used to work for him, like all Saiyans."

Now it was Kami's turn to be surprised. Belmovekk could not help but smile.

"I was born twelve years before Vegeta was," Belmovekk continued, "I was what people call a covert operator for the Saiyan royal house. King Vegeta send me on a secret mission to find allies against Frieza. We may have worked for him but we did not trust him. Trust is a scarce commodity between bad guys. Our king sought to get us to become more independent of Frieza who he feared would turn on us soon.

Unfortunately it was sooner then we thought. A powerful race had agreed to ally itself with us if we took care of a particular troublesome rival. For political reasons they couldn't do the job so they asked us. Our king send me and the 7th regiment and we took care of the matter. No sooner had we done the job when Frieza send the Ginyu force on us .Ginyu itself boasted that Frieza had destroyed planet Vegeta and he was going to finish the job. When I heard it I knew it to be true.

I still don't know exactly what happened next but somehow I found myself on that strange world thousands of years in the past, my ship crashed and suffering amnesia for a while."

"Goku also suffered from amnesia when he came to earth," said Kami,.

"Did he ever manage to remember again," Belmovekk asked.

"No, he never did," Kami replied shaking his head, "but he was a mere infant when he came here. His memories were minimal to start with. I could probe them easily but he was never much interested to know them. Now hearing your story I think his father may have send him here to escape Vegeta's destruction."

"I guess he is lucky then, not only doesn't he remember, he doesn't even have to remember anything," Belmovekk sighed, "the day I started to remember was the worst day in my life. One day I was one of the good guys, the next I was a former mass murderer. Luckily I had friends who cared for me. I came that close to killing myself. As long as one has friends one is never really poor. I would rather lay down my life then disappoint them. But I think we are digressing."

"Yes, your 'accident'! What was the first accident by the way?"

"I think the Necessity once said it was a galaxy somewhere that blew up when it shouldn't. It started with a star that blew up, that one ignited another, and so a chain reaction was set in motion. But that was when the universe was still comparably young. It was then comparably easy to derail the universe I'm told. It should take a little more effort to derail things now that they are in full motion. Something really nasty must be afoot to get the attention of both Necessities and both Necessities did agree it was supposed to be happening here."

"Amazing that something as powerful as these Necessities are vulnerable to something as blind chance," Kami replied in disbelief.

"It was blind chance that created them in the first place, Kami," Belmovekk shrugged, "blind chance could create a third one if it came to it. We may not like what it has to offer."

Kami looked worried and walked to the edge of his floating dish, the Tenka bowl. He peered down intently. Belmovekk followed him to where the god of the earth stood.

"Nice view," he commented, "small wonder you know a lot of what's going on. You can see everything standing here. Really everything, even the other side of the world."

Kami smiled at the comment. Then his smile faded.

"For the last year I felt something dark down there," said Kami without looking back, "When I heard about the androids I thought it was them or the sick mind behind them, Dr. Gero. But now, after hearing your story I'm not so sure."

"You believe me then?"

"Oh I do. I can sense that you are telling the truth. You are different from both Goku and Vegeta. Goku is pure goodness, Vegeta is still mostly pure evil. Although not as bad as during his first time here. I guess dying by Frieza's hands, his resurrection and knowing Goku has surpassed him is changing him. But you, you are more grey. You know the difference between right and wrong. You wish to do right. But you also are perfectly willing to do what is necessary. Even if you have to break every rule in the book or be utterly ruthless to do so. You are an interesting mix, mister Belmovekk of both your Saiyan fellows."

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult, Kami," Belmovekk said as he scratched behind his ears.

"Merely an observation, mister Belmovekk," Kami smiled, "Merely an observation."

"Leave it to me to find a politician for a God," Belmovekk snorted as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I learn from the best, mister Belmovekk, most people may not have near Saiyan levels of strength but they know everything of politics. Would you mind staying for dinner?"

"Ah, the old won't you stay for dinner so I can feel you out a bit more trick," Belmovekk smiled, "I've always been fond of pouring my sources of information full of strong liquor. Nothing beats getting them drunk if you're pumping them for information. Then again, rule no.13, never say no to a free meal. Airplanes are decent for travel but the kind of food they dare to serve is a disgrace. And that pigeon along the was much filling either."

"You sure are a Saiyan, mister Belmovekk," Kami replied, "never losing sight of thier stomach, "I'll ask mister Popo to whip you up something tasty and lots of it. He's a fine cook and we have had Saiyans for dinner before."

"As long as I'm not the main course," joked the Saiyan. Then his face turned serious again.

"Kami, why do demons live on this world?"

* * *

"Go to that place for answers," had been Kami's answer and pointed to a place on the west coast of the United States. He had recognized it immediately as one of the demonic hotspots, the biggest of them all.

So after having enjoyed a fine meal with the Earth God and staying for a few days to chat he had decided to go there. Especially since the Earth God refused, politely of course, to answer any questions about Earth's demonic presence. Plenty of time to visit the others, this one was relatively close by.

He returned to the airport and took a flight to a place called Sunnydale. It being the town at the center of it all. The flight was uneventful and the onboard food atrocious as as he had come to expect, also ridiculously small in portion. But when the aircraft neared Sunnydale he could feel something. It was like being enveloped in somebody else's chi, and not a nice one as well.

To his amazement his fellow passenger next to him grabbed for the airsickness bag.

"I always get his when I return home," the passenger said to excuse himself. Belmovekk could see that he wasn't the only one. At least three others reacted the same way, including one pregnant woman who reacted more then the other three.

Once the plane touched down the feeling intensified but it strangely also grew bearable. By the time Belmovekk exited the plane and made it through the terminal he had grown accustomed to it the same way one grows accustomed to a bad smell.

"Taxi, sir," a person beside a yellow car said. Ah, the local transportation racket. He had learned about them in a collection of books he had picked up in Paris called the Lonely Planet travel guide to the US. Bloody useful books! And how these taxi drivers always charged ridiculous prices whenever possible. He didn't really need a ride into town .But the taxi driver he had had in New York had proven to be a veritable treasure trove of useful information. So he agreed to take up the offer.

"Where to, sir," the cabbie asked as Belmovekk and he entered.

"A good restaurant would be fine," Belmovekk said as he sat down, "I do not know what they are serving in airplanes, and frankly I do not wish to know."

"I know the sentiment, sir," said the cabbie and started the car to leave the airport terminal, "and my cousin works at the airports catering. Any preference in restaurants?"

"As long as its good and lots of it," Belmovekk said as he relaxed, "I'm not really into haute cuisine. I have recently come from Paris and although the food there tastes good, the portions are ludicrously small."

"I know just the place then, sir," the cabbie smiled over his shoulder, "Roy's All you can eat dinner."

"That will be fine," Belmovekk said as they passed the town's first cemetary.

The cabbie noticed his passenger taking an interest in the cemetary.

"First time to Sunnydale, sir?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Belmovekk replied as they passed another one.

"Business or pleasure, sir," the cabbie asked with just a hint of nervousness

"Mostly business," replied Belmovekk, causing the cannie to relax, "but just in case, is there anything interesting to see?"

"The thank you for leaving Sunnydale sign, sir," the cabbie replied deadly serious.

"You don't like this place then," Belmovekk asked.

"Oh, it can be quite nice, sir, as long as the sun shines. "

"And when the sun doesn't shine," Belmovekk asked.

"So this steel wire mesh separating me from you, sir," the cabbie pointed over his shoulder, "that's for work. At home I'll lock myself indoor using the best doors and locks money can buy."

"And why would that be?"

"Unless sir carried a big long suitcase that said hunting riffle I don't think sir would believe me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised by the things I can believe," Belmovekk said as he inched forward, "why are there so many cemeteries in this place?"

"Part of the reason sir would find it extremely difficult to find a taxi after nightfall, sir. All sort of things go bump in the night in this place."

"What sort of things," Belmovekk asked having a pretty good idea of what to expect.

"Sir's ever seen a horror movie," the cabbie asked.

"Movies," Belmovekk asked puzzled, then he remembered the inflight movie, "oh, those! Not really, they tend to put me to sleep."

"Well, sir, this is not the town to fall asleep in at night unless protected by good locks. Oh, and neither the place to invite strange people in. Here we are, sir. Roy's All you can eat. There is a good hotel around the corner as well. That will be $12.99."

"Thanks for the ride, good fellow," Belmovekk said and gave the cabbie a $20 bill through a small hole in the wire mesh, "and thanks for the advice."

"It makes good business sense to keep one's customers around," the cabbie smiled as he put the money away sir. Have a nice stay."

Belmovekk shouldered his small travel bag and waved goodbye to the cab driver who drove off. He was now in the heart of Sunnydale and although the bad feeling was now even stronger, like a bad smell prolonged exposure made it more difficult to measure it as you got used to it.

By now he was so hungry he went inside Roy's All you can eat and gave in to his food cravings. It was late in the afternoon, almost evening so there were already several other customers. Seeing the buffet laid out Belmovekk knew the cabbie had brought him to the right place.

* * *

Feeling very satisfied Belmovekk left Roy's All you can eat to the relief of the proprietor. Every time the Saiyan returned to the buffet had the staff groaning in despair. The buffet assault had lasted for more then an hour and it had grown dark outside.

Having satisfied his stomach Belmovekk could now finally start examining this place. It was getting less busy outside as more and more people started to get off the street.

Belmovekk sought a secluded back alley and took out his scouter and quickly changed dress from smart European business man to a more casual outfit, then flew off into the air. At 200 meters above Sunnydale he started scanning. The place was literally crawling with demons. There could even be more of them but somehow the weird energy of this place was interfering with his scouter. He could only get surface scans, nothing from underground, which his Paris vampire had told him was a major resting place for demons during the day. Most were in the 50+, a few near 100. The scouter classified them all as demonic, all except for a single one, the highest of them all. That aroused Belmovekk's interest. So he went of in that direction.

Floating above an unobtrusive house in what they called the suburbs he halted. Whoever was this big lived in here. It almost seemed ordinary and a bit disappointing. One always expected more somehow. He was about to have a closer look when an upstairs window opened and somebody climbed out, then jumped iff the roof. To his surprise she was a small girl, a teenager, with what looked like long blond hair tied in a knot behind her back. It surprised him even more when his scouter indicated she was this place largest power.

"By the Gods..." he said and then followed the girl from above as she went off into the night.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

**'The arrival 2'**

AN: _OK, this was actually the first chapter I wrote specifically for this Buffy crossover. Any mentionings of her, vamps and Hellmouths previously is retroactive. In hindsight I'm not that happy with it but short of deleting it all together and starting anew it is as it is. I'd rather write new chapters then rewrite old ones._

* * *

There were times when it sucked to be the Slayer. It cut heavily into your social life, its responsibilities always called at the most inconvenient moment. And it could (and inevitably always would) get you killed. The upside was that it gave you a 007 like license to take out all your frustrations on the minions of evil.

But you had to find those minions first in order to do it. And naturally when you were looking forward to actually kick some demon ass, none was to be found. It such times it was like they Buffydar or something. You just wished to get home for a few hours of sleep, suddenly Sunnydale was like spook central. Looking for a big fight and the place looked like some deserted Western town with tumbleweeds blowing through the streets.

Had she and Giles known it she would have been highly surprised on how well Sunnydale's underworld had gotten in reading her behavior. A particular enterprising demon had even succeeded in finding out when she had her periods so the demons knew when to avoid that particularly nasty 'time of the month.' Angel knew, but didn't have the heart to tell her.

So after a long night of very uneventful patrolling Buffy was glad to finally have a vamp rise from the grave. Figures that it had to be at the last and most distant cemetery in all of Sunnydale.

"Ah, how nice, a nice snack at the ready," the fledgling said. They all said it. They all thought it to be terribly funny and original. Fledglings weren't known for their originality nor style. That usually came much later. As survival of the fittest weeded out the dumber ones. Or in this case, one pissed of Slayer.

"In your dreams, vamp boy," Buffy said defiantly and took up a fighting stance, "let's go, I haven't got all night! If we make this quick I can still get my beauty sleep."

"You'll pay for your insolence," the fledge hissed back, "little girl, nobody insults Rick the Vampire!"

"Puhlease! You've just risen," Buffy snorted, "no vampire even a day old would take you serious."

And with that she gave him a kick that made him fly away several rows of gravestones only to crash very painfully into one. A normal person would have stayed down but to a vampire it was nothing, Even a fledgling. He immediately got up and ran straight for Buffy.

"Now you've done it, little girl! I'm so going to kick your sorry ass before draining you!"

"Only if you can catch me, " Buffy replied grinning. He may be a pathetic fledgling but he'd do nicely to relieve some much pent up stress. She was so spoiling for a good fight ever since Spike and his gang had crashed her parent/teacher meeting. So she proceeded to utterly lay down the smack down on poor Rick the vampire, only refraining from killing his sorry ass to give him just enough of a breather so she could start all over again.

Smack!

"This is for Snyder breathing down my back 24-7!"

Thud!

"This is for him dragging my mom to school to bitch about me!"

Whack!

"This is for that bleached corpse and his ghouls crashing my school!"

Thud!

"And this is for that loser, the Master, for nearly killing me!"

"He did? Auw!!!"

After a few minutes Rick the vampire had quit talking trash about draining Buffy dry. After a few more he no longer talked about kicking her shapely ass. Bloody retribution also ceased quickly thereafter. Then it just became a plea for mercy.

"Please, girl, mercy," he begged as his body hurt all over.

"Why, what happened to all your threads, Rick," Buffy smiled, ready to deliver the killing blow, but still weary for a sudden move.

"I hurt in places I never knew I had," Rick replied, spitting out some blood and a tooth, "I'd rather be dead again."

"That can be arranged," Buffy said and pulled out her stake, "I have to say, they don't turn them like they used to."

The vamp dropped on his knees, utterly beaten.

"Tell me at least your name, girl, no ordinary girl could have beaten a vampire like that."

"You would have learned it anyway if you'd had gotten away," Buffy said halting her stake, "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

The vamp looked perplexed.

"What's a vampire slayer?"

"God, don't they teach you anything in vamp school, Rick," Buffy shook her head in disbelief.

"Hello, didn't get out much previously, now newly risen," Rick protested while pointing at himself.

Buffy assumed a pose like delivering a speech.

"Into each generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, the chosen one, one born with the strength and skill to blah blah blah. Long story, short, she's the Slayer!"

"Just my rotten luck," Rick said sadly, "I was so glad I no longer was a loser and now this. The universe has far to much fun at my expense."

"A philosophizing vampire, that's a first. Well, Rick, see it as your big chance to get away from it all," Buffy replied and drove the stake through Rick's heart. The vamp exploded in a whirlwind of dust.

"And another one bites the dust," Buffy said cheerfully, "time to go..."

Something was wrong.

"Now there is something you don't see every day," a voice said behind her.

Buffy turned around in an instant. Sitting on top of one of the graves was what appeared to be a Hell's Angel. He sat with his legs tucked under him and his head resting on one arm. He wore a jeans, army surpluss boots and a body warmer with a black t-shirt underneath. His arms appeared to be covered in tattoo's. Hideous tattoos giving Buffy a creepy feeling. She was about to make a snippy remark when she noticed his hair. It was ink black and stood out in several directions defying the laws of gravity.

"I so don't want to see your hair gel bill," she said shaking her head. The man looked perplexed.

'Hair gel, you know," she said, getting further weird looks, "as in creating that weird hairdo like a bomb has exploded in your hair?"

"What is wrong with my hair, young lady?" he said and put his hand in it, feeling it up, "I happen to know it was rather stylish."

"Maybe in the 80's but so not in the 90's, mister," Buffy snorted.

The man shrugged.

"We are born with the hair we got," he said, "I happen to like mine, young lady."

Buffy wanted to make another remark when she noticed the man put on a strange device on his left ear with what appeared to be a colored glass extension in front of his left eye.

"So how's the radio reception on that," she asked, "does it get the heavy metal station? Haven't seen one of those in radio Shack."

"What, you mean this," the man said and pointed to his device, "it has its uses. But why are we talking about my hair and my accessories? I was hoping to get a talk about why that thing turned to dust and what a vampire slayer is."

"Bummer," Buffy said, she was hoping he didn't hear that part. Next time, no more introductions to vampires about to meet the sharp end. There was something about that guy that was bugging her slayer senses.

"What are you," she said, "I'm sensing something distinctly wiggy about you."

"Wiggy," the man said raising an eyebrow.

"Weird, strange, not normal. You know, wiggy."

"Odd choice of words. Still, very perceptive, young lady. Maybe I am like that gentleman you just killed?"

Buffy looked at the pile of dust that used to be Rick, then shook her head.

"No, vampires I recognize. You feel altogether more...different. Are you a demon?"

"Young lady," the man huffed insulted, "I kick demon ass for warm up."

"Then what are you? "

"Curious," the man said as he foundled his short beard

Buffy looked perplexed.

"You see, I'm not from around this place," the man said as he got up and jumped off the grave, "did not even plan to come here originally. But to my great surprise I found you. A blip."

"A blip," Buffy said, "I've been called many things but never that."

The man tapped the device on his left ear.

"This thing from what you call radio shack is an advanced scouter that can senses life energies, young lady," the man said as he sized her up, "when I arrived here I was greeted by the welcoming committee. I thought them to be the biggest and the baddest on this little rock. Imagine my surprise when I was in this neighborhood and my scouter went off. My mother always said I was to curious for my own good so I went and had a look. It led me straight to you."

"Lucky me," replied Buffy. The Hellmouth was drawing in the freak shows again. She should really learn to stop wishing for something to happen. While usually mostly nothing happens, sometimes you got more they hoped for.

"I have been following you for the entire evening and I was about to introduce myself when I saw one of those things come up from the ground and you starting to beat the living snot out of that soulless thing. Is that how they are born?"

"Yeah, when they kill their victims they sometimes let them drink of their own blood. When that happens they rise from the grave and become like them."

"Disgusting things," the man snorted, "this planet is infested by them."

"No complaints from me. But you still haven't told me who and what you are, tattoo boy!"

The man suddenly looked excited.

"Oh, I feel a challenge coming up," he grinned, "tell, you what, miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer, do me the honor of fighting with me and I shall tell you about me."

"But its not nice to invite a girl for something and not give her your name," Buffy gave back an innocent smile.

"True, young lady," the man said, "and I offer my most sincere apologies. But I am not from these places and do not know that many people yet. While you may have blurted out your name to your former opponent unbeknowest of my presence I prefer to get know you a little better. Rest assured, young lady, I shall not bite."

"Unbeknowest," Buffy asked not believing what she heard, "what are you, a reject from the 19th century?"

The man just smiled and gestured towards the part of the cemetery that hadn't been filled with graves yet. Sighing Buffy followed the man to the clearing.

"Fine," she muttered, "if you don't want to answer I guess I shall have to beat the answers out of you."

The man just smirked and assumed an unfamiliar battle stance. Buffy felt herself getting annoyed and wanted to wipe that annoying smirk of the guy's face.

You are so going to get it, Tattoo boy," she said assuming a battle stance of her own.

And with that she launched herself at him delivering a kick to the mans head that would have torn the head of Rick the sadly deceased vampire. The man was knocked to the ground but his head was still attached.

"Good," he said as he got up, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth, "very good. Better then against that vampire."

"You are definitely not human," Buffy said and delivered a roundhouse kick that knocked the man back a few meters He shook his head a few times and got up again. Time enough for Buffy to close in and deliver a series of punches that made most vampires beg to be staked. But while the guy was impacted by them it didn't really bring him down. Every time she knocked him down he managed to get up. He even seemed to like it.

"You're a glutton for punishment or you're holding back," Buffy said as both paused the fight for a quick breather.

"Maybe I'm a gentleman and don't like to hit on little girls," the man smirked. That smirk was really starting to annoy Buffy.

"I'm so going to whip your ass, Tattoo boy!"

The man just smirked some more. It looked like he had the time of his life as Buffy attacked again, but this time the man started to counter her moves. Every punch and kick was blocked. The fight had now turned into a complicated dance of martial arts. After two years of martial arts training at the hands of her two watchers Buffy had become quite the expert but she couldn't recognize her opponent's style. They seemed out of this world.

And then it happened.

Suddenly he stroke out and delivered a might punch that impacted hard in her gut. She'd been so focused on attacking and identifying his style that she had neglected her defenses somewhat. It hurt but she could take it. Faster then was humanly possible and somewhat infuriated she recovered and managed to get past his defenses and hit his chin. Both stepped back and took another short breather.

"I thought you didn't hit on girls," Buffy said panting as she held her stomach.

"I never said I would, young lady," the man said massaging his chin, "I said maybe. And you were starting to neglect your defenses."

"No need to call me young lady, my name is Buffy.."

"Now that just wouldn't be proper, young lady," the man said, "and besides manners I was thought the hard way that one should never neglect one's defenses."

'It was only because you weren't attacking," she said back.

"Especially then, young lady! My teachers would have whipped me senseless for such a mistake. Now, since you seem to be able to take a punch prepare yourself, I will not hold back this time."

This time it was the man who attacked and Buffy was only able to barely keep him from hurting her senseless. His punches and kicks felt like being hit with anvils. She was so going to be sore tomorrow. If she made it to tomorrow.

Halfway into a series of punches the man made an almost impossible leap and landed behind her, then sweeping her of her feet. She smacked into the ground and before she could get up the man had pinned her down with one hand and the other raised in what could be a potentially devastating strike. She braced herself for the impact, her short life flashing before her eyes.

But the strike never came

Suddenly the man released her, smirking that infuriating smirk of him.

"Not bad, young lady, not bad considering your level of power, the man said, "but you are still holding back."

You must be kidding thought Buffy, not even Spike or the Master was up to this level and she had been giving her all. The man looked at her thinking, then held out his hand to help her up. Now this was weird. Usually her enemies didn't held out hands to help her on her feet. Slightly puzzled she took it, suspecting a trick. But he just helped her on her feet.

"Considering you level you fight quite good, young lady," the man smiled, "what say you if we kick it up a notch," the man asked. To her surprise he started to float into the air spreading out his arms. Two spheres of light started to flicker in his hands until they became two swirling globes of energy, intricate color patterns streaking across them. Something told her they would be quite painful.

"What are you waiting for, young lady," the man said waiting for her.

"I can't do that," objected Buffy almost in disbelief. The man looked surprised.

"Surely a skilled and accomplished fighter like you can manage to this? A 4 year old should be able to do it."

"Listen, general Zod," she said putting her hands in her sides, "here people don't go off flying and start making light shows with their hands. Not without some serious magics they don't!"

The man looked surprised. The spheres of energy disappeared and he floated down again.

"Are you sure about that," he asked looking somewhat disappointed.

"Oh, I'm sure, general Zod. That would be need to know information since I'm the Slayer."

"I've heard about you," the man said, "I didn't think you were real until I came here, some vampire's bad nightmare."

"I guess they say a lot of things about me," said Buffy.

"To bad they didn't say you couldn't fly," the man said appraisingly, "how about speed then? Try hitting me."

"My pleasure," said Buffy and lunged for the man only to find that she was hitting a fata morgana.

"I'm over here," came behind her. There he stood, all smirking, arms folded. She punched again, but again she hit air.

"Or maybe I'm here," came from her left.

Again all she hit was air.

"The next time I might hit you, young lady," the man said as she struck another fata morgana.

"You are so going to get it," Buffy said with gritted teeth as again she hit a phantom image.

"Peekaboo," suddenly 5 versions of the man said before blurring out.

OK, this was so not going to work thought Buffy as the guy was taunting her. Desperate times. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. She could sense him earlier.

"Here goes nothing," she said to herself. She blocked out his taunting, just breathed.

Suddenly she brought up her hands in front of her face and felt his fist impacting like a ten ton hammer. It almost knocked her off her feet.

"You didn't see that coming," the man said surprised.

"I felt it," Buffy replied.

"Good," the man said approvingly, "I was somewhat disappointed that you could not do chi but you do have potential. If you'd like to sit down and do me the honor of sharing a drink we will talk and tell each other the things we need to know.

* * *

(From the memoirs of Belgarath the sorcerer)

He came in the days following the deaths of our comrade Belmakor, when even our master was feeling so low he took up wandering again. My girlfriend Poledra, which had kept me company for all this while, had left me to go away for a while. So in a way we all could use the diversion. I'm not sure how but I think our mutual 'friend' had a hand in his arrival. We were busy trying to emerge ourselves in our studies, with little success I might add. I was reading some incredibly dusty scroll when suddenly my brother (brother in a spiritual sense that is) Beldin came into my tower in the guise of of a blue banded falcon, his favorite form. He shimmered back into the hunchback sorcerer that he was.

"Belgarath," he said excited, "we have a visitor."

"So, what I'm I supposed to do about that," I replied irritated, "it's not as if nobody ever comes here."

Beldin shook his head in disgust.

"How come you are our masters first disciple yet you cannot seem to pay attention to what's going on around here? Has your brain been completely desolved in that strong ale that you're so fond of? Our visitor makes more noise then an dozen agitated Grolims walking on hot coals."

"So, ask him to be quiet if he disturbs you," I replied.

"Its not that sort of noise you bumbling incompetent! The other one, our talent, remember?"

That got my attention. I put down the scroll and examined the surrounding vale. There was indeed somebody here with talent. A strangely unfamiliar one too.

"A Grolim," I asked. Beldin sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Honest to god, Belgarath, sometimes you're to dense. Torak's Grolims have no powers this side of the sea, remember? Besides, I've been feeling him for quite some time now. He seemed to be traveling through the west for almost a year now. And now he's here. Care to investigate?"

"Can't the twins help you out or Belzedar," I said without much conviction. To be honest I was getting quite intrigued. Certainly more then in that dusty scroll. Still, it wouldn't do to let Beldin he could distract me from my work that easily.

"The twins are still in morning of Belmakor," Beldin replied dismissively, "I don't want to upset them right now. Belzedar is almost always in Mallorea doing his thing. He's next to useless. That leaves only you, brother."

As Beldin smiled a huge grin I sighed and put away the scroll. More for show though. Like I said before, you must not always give to much enthusiasm to Beldin's ideas or it gets to his head.

We changed shape into birds and flew out to meet this stranger. He was easily found. He was sitting on top of a hill beside the river Aldur. A good spot, I've been there myself from time to time. We perched on the branch of a tree and observed our visitor. He had the wildest and blackest hair I'd ever seen. He had some sort of small globe over his left ear, with a protruding glass piece in front of left eye. We could not discern which race he was. What surprised us the most was a brown furry band draped around his middle coming from his backside. He must be a race of his own I thought.

"He has a motherfucking tail, Belgarath," gasped Beldin. Beldin can be so colorful with words sometimes.

"Now I'm really curious," I said, "lets change back and talk with this guy."

Now I know for a fact that when we shapeshift we make no 'noise' as we like to call it. But this guy noticed us in an instant, got up, turned around and assumed what looked like a fighting position so fast I could not see it happen. He sort of looked us up as if we were a threat to him or not then suddenly asked Beldin if he were Aldur. I found it quite amusing, even though Beldin cursed the poor guy to hell and back for even thinking such an idea. It didn't seem to phase the guy. Most people get quite 'unnerved' if Beldin goes the extra mile but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. It severely annoyed Beldin so I immediately liked the guy for it.

"Do you seek Aldur," I asked once Beldin had finished his little tirade. He nodded.

"Then why do you seek him?"

He thought about it for a while before he answered.

"I have met this guy on a cart who said I could find him here. I seek his aid."

At that point a light should have gone on. The old 'guy on a rickety cart' routine again. We really live in a stale world when even the Gods can't come up with new ideas. But even the deeper implications of what he had said did not sink in at this time.

"What do you want from him," asked Beldin.

"I seek a cure for my ailment," he said, "I cannot remember who or what I am. One day I woke up in a place far from here with no knowledge of who and what I am. I clearly don't belong here," he said and to illustrate his point his tail started to wag.

I was just about to say something when it hit me. I looked at Beldin and he must have realized it to. It would appear that we had another brother again.

"Yes," we said in unison, our master had done it again.

* * *

We took the stranger to the twins. They always have something cooking and seem to have an innate desire to feed people. Besides I wasn't in a mood to cook. I always thought I was good in delegating authority and I always like to delegate the cooking to others. It was a sight to behold. Our new friend to be had an appetite that made Beldin look like an amateur. Where as Beldin can eat his food in the grossest of manners, preferably raw, this guy ate immense quantities at breakneck speed. He could eat it as fast as the twins could serve it. Beldin was speechless as the rest of us. After finishing his 16th plate our visitor finally leaned back satisfied.

"That hit the spot," said our visitor as he hit his stomach. To our amazement it wasn't even distended.

"It must be," said Beltira, one of the twins, "he emptied the whole kettle."

"I'll start another one," said Belkira and got to it.

"Tell them what you told us," said Beldin to the visitor.

While he told his tale I studied the device the visitor had on his face earlier. It's craftsmanship seemed beyond anything I'd ever seen. Maybe only the Dals could rival something similar and I wasn't very convinced of that either. It looked out of this world. I put it on the way the visitor had carried it. As soon as I put the eye piece in front of my left eye symbols started to run. A different set of symbols appeared when I looked at different people. I surmised that it must tell something about the people I was observing. So that is how the visitor was able to detect us when we assumed our human form. Apparently it did not register us when we were in animal form. A device like this might prove very useful when dealing with Torak's Grolims.

As the visitor told his tale naturally the twins were totally in tears. Their overt sentimentality comes from their Alorn origins. One of their few flaws I must admit but one has to deal with the cards one is given. Our visitor told us of how he had woken up in a crater, suffering from multiple wounds not remembering anything, how he had roamed on the plains to the north for weeks, evading contact with anybody, mostly the roving bands of Algar cattle herders. That is until he met a guy in a rickety cart who had taken him in and together they had traveled for a while until he was dropped of at the entrance to our little vale.

"This is good," said Beltira.

"That we get another brother."

Our visitor looked baffled then at me.

"Do they do that often," he asked.

"Disgusting habit ain't it," snorted Beldin disgustedly, "we've been trying to break them of the habit for years but they keep on doing it. Their minds are linked in some sicko, twisted, perverted way."

"No more disgusting then."

"You're eating habits, brother Beldin."

The twins gave Beldin what passed for a grin. Beldin snorted unimpressed.

"Just shut up, and give me something to eat!"

Belkira went back to the kettle and added more ingredients to it..

"You'll have to wait till it's ready, Beldin," he said.

"Our new brother ate it all," finished Beltira.

"What is all this new brother stuff," asked the visitor, "I just came here looking for a cure. I need to find this god Aldur."

"You already did," said Beldin, not one of the subtlest people I know, "that guy on that rickety cart? That's our master all right. That's how he recruited all of us too!"

"That was Aldur," exclaimed our visitor, "all that time together and he did not cure me? What kind of sick god is he?"

"For your information, kiddo, Aldur is about the kindest and gentlest of God you could find in this sick world," said Beldin as he pointed angrily, "so if he did not help you it must have been for a good reason."

"I wonder what it is," I said as examined our visitor, "what could be in that brain of yours that is too dangerous to know."

"Or maybe even Aldur does not know what to do," said Beltira also examining him..

"Since he does not appear to be of this world," finished the other twin without looking up from the kettle.

Naturally this all served to confuse our guest.

"What do they mean?"

"It means since you do not seem to be of any of the races that inhabit this world," said Beldin, "in that respect you are a bit like me. I'm so deformed nobody knows which race I'm off, not even I. But still I know I was born here."

Beldin got up and moved to our guest and started pointing things out.

"Your tail could be a deformity, but your racial features are not. Black hair is not uncommon, but eyes with black irises are. Our master once told us that life existed on other worlds. You must come from one of them. Your equipment is proof of that. It doesn't look like anything made on this world. It doesn't function like anything made on this world. Your facial device is just totally beyond the capabilities of any artisan here."

"The ball," said our visitor as if he realized something.

"What?"

"When I woke I was lying in that crater and in the center was a globe with a door that was open. Inside was a seat. It must be a vehicle to travel between worlds."

"Hmm, interesting," said Beldin as he cupped one arm and used it to support his chin, "and where was this globe?"

"In the middle of a giant grass plain." our visitor replied nodding in a general direction, "somewhere to the west of, what was it, the mountains of UL I was told."

"That's to the north of us," said Beldin, "I think I will go and check it out. Since these 2 clowns still haven't got anything ready to eat I'll get myself a bird along the way. Take care of him, Belgarath."

And with that he changed into a bluebanded falcon and flew out of the window.

"I've seen him do it before, but how does he do that," asked our visitor. So I set out to tell him about the secret of the Will and the Word.

* * *

Later that evening I took the visitor to my tower. Since my tower is reasonably far away he got to see our little community as we walked past the towers of the others

"Whose towers are those," he asked.

"That's Belzedar," I replied without looking, "he's one of our masters other disciples, but he's not here so you're in luck. He's been away from some time now."

"Why am I in luck," he asked.

"He's a bit pompous," I shrugged.

"And those ruins?"

I sighed at the memory.

"Those 2 ruins over there used to belong to our brethren Belmakor and Belsambar."

"What happened to do them?"

"They killed themselves," I said after sighing again, "they could not bear continue living."

Our visitor halted for a moment as he took in the ruins. I waited for him to move on.

"I am sorry to hear that," he said eventually and moved on.

"Thanks," I said, "it was pretty painful for all of us. Especially the twins. That's why they were so glad to hear that they might get a new brother. They care deeply for others."

"Well, they should not make definite plans yet," he said, looking one more time over his shoulders, "I have no intentions of staying."

"This is not a bad place to live, you could do conceivably worse."

"Maybe, but stone towers don't seem like my style. And I have this feeling that I have something to do. I don't know what it is but it is driving me crazy. That is why I want to remember. Whose tower is that?"

"That's the one of Aldur," I replied, "but as you can see nobodies home."

"It looks a bit dilapidated," he agreed.

"He's a god," I said, "if he wanted to he'll have it fixed in no time."

I decided to walk our visitor past the tree. The tree stands at the center of the Vale. As far as we know it's unique, there are no others like it. It does not reproduce, or die, it just is. Every one of us who came here has been touched by it in a profound way. But our visitor did not deem it worthy to look at it. In a way it concerned me at the time. I did not take into account that not everything happens instantly. Sometimes the quarter has to spin before it becomes clear whether it is heads or tails.

Finally we arrived at my tower. Beldin always likes to call it that ugly thing but it's home to me. I willed the stone that was my door to the side and it did, much to the curiosity of our visitor.

"The Will and Word again," he asked.

I nodded and went inside. As went inside up the stairs I closed the door stone again.

"Watch that step, it's loose," I said and pointed to the offending step.

"Shouldn't you fix it then? "

"Perhaps, but I'm used to it now. It would feel strange if it wasn't there."

"You're a weird fellow, Belgarath," our visitor said shaking his head.

"So they say," I smiled.

I let him sleep in Beldin's old bed. He had moved out long ago, but I never throw things out so it was still there. He slept like a rock, just like Beldin did (meaning he snored like him too). I could not sleep and decided to do some studying. It was when I was trying to decipher that dusty scroll again that I received a summoning from my master. I changed into an owl (it was night after all) and flew to his tower. He was waiting there for me.

"Belgarath, well met," he said. I made a slight bow and sat in one of his chairs.

"I guess this is about our new friend, master?"

"Thou hast a keen eye for details, my pupil," Aldur replied and started to pace. I've never seen him pace before. That got my attention.

"It is indeed about him. I have been observing him for a time and I think I can restore his former self. But I dost not think it is prudent to do so."

"Why is that, master," I asked, "doesn't he have to right to be who he is?"

"Indeed, Belgarath," Aldur said without stopping to pace, "but during our travels together I have sensed a great evil within our new friend. I fear that if I were to awake his memory now that he would go over to my brother, Torak."

That also got my intention. What kind of monster had he been? He seemed quite likable. Then again, Aldur had spent more time with him then we did. Yet it didn't seem fair to him.

"But we cannot keep him like this forever, master. He has a right to know."

"And so it shall be, my pupil, but in time. For if we are to proceed with caution we could stem this evil within him and turn him in a great ally. There is enormous power within him to rival even the Orb itself. I have been learning where he came from and I've learned that his people are capable of great deeds, right or wrong. We shall restore him in stages. I will have to study more about him and his people, so this is what we will do. I wantst thou to educate him like thy did thy brethren. I shall restore some of his skills and lore withinst half a year. After a full year shall we fully restore him. This promise we will tell and this promise we will keep. Meanwhile we must remake him so that when the time comes he willst make the right choice."

"But master," I protested, "a year is hardly enough time to teach him the ways of the Will and the Word!"

"Thou shalt be pleasantly surprised, my pupil, forhis kind is called Saiyan and these Saiyans have special talents. Oh, and thou should heed this warning. Beware of the full moon when I am not around. Let him not see it for a monster within him shall be awakened."

Great! As if my life wasn't complicated enough.

"And how shall we address him, master, I cannot keep calling him visitor or guest for a year."

"His name is Movekk, Belgarath. Thou can and must tell him this."

* * *

"Movekk? That's my name?"

Movekk looked so disappointed when I told him what Aldur had told me. I've never had the heart to ask but part of me thinks he was more disappointed learning his true name then having to wait a full year. Which I can sort of understand. It's a weird name.

"That is what my master told me," I said, "he is gone to learn more about you so he can help you better."

Movekk sat down to take in the news and think it over. I sat on my study desk and gave him the time to deal with the news.

"A full year is a long time to wait for a cure, Belgarath," he finally said.

"Hey, it's better then nothing, Movekk," I said, "and nobody said it would be an instant cure. For all I know the cure might be very complicated."

* * *

So I was lying. I do that sometimes to help people. The truth can sometimes hurt terribly. Is it so bad to spare somebody's feelings?

* * *

"I thought gods could do anything they set their minds to," Movekk retorted raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"That's just propaganda so the priests can keep their followers in check," I coughed uncomfortably, "Gods are bound by more rules then you could possibly image. Except for one god of course. But Torak is mad as a hat so he doesn't qualify. Now finish your breakfast and I will start teaching you the Will and Word."

* * *

"So you are telling me you are from outer space? That's a first," Buffy said smiling, "you know this is a tasty beverage after a steamy fight."

The man smiled. They had sat down on an inviting grave and the man had finally introduced himself as Belmovekk, a being of an alien race called Saiyans. From behind the grave he had pulled a bottle and two glasses out of nowhere and poured them a drink.

"It is my special recipe," Belmovek smiled at her, "great to restore the fluids after a good hard workout."

"Alien Gatorade, nice."

The alien relaxed agains the tombstone.

"I would imagine that a girl who fights these vampires would not be that surprised to meeting someone from another world," he said, "from what I've seen most other people of this world seem to be quite oblivious to the creatures that inhabit their world."

'I call it the Sunnydale effect," sighed Buffy and nodded to the town behind her, "they just don't want to see it. Call it gangs on PCP instead or something. My own mother saw a bunch of them last week and she's already convinced herself it couldn't be real what she had seen."

"Ignorance is bliss, I guess," agreed the Saiyan, "could be helpful though if you do not want to have a lot of busybodies in the way. A girl like you would otherwise attract a lot of attention from the wrong people."

"I guess so," agreed Buffy as she thought it over.. While it was helpful nobody seemed to notice, nobody likes to slave away unnoticed and unthanked for ever. While she would loath being the talk of the town, a yeah Buffy day would be nice though. The Alien noticed her introspection and leaned over.

"Lets play the truth game, young lady," he said mischievously, "you ask, I tell, I ask, you tell. Deal?"

"Deal," Buffy said, "What kind of aliens are you Seances?"

"Saiyans, young lady," he said raising an eyebrow in disdain.

"Like I said, Seances," Buffy smiled.

She may not be able to defeat him in battle, but in wordgames he seemed as easily distracted as Giles. Belmovekk gave her a slight frown o'doom but then softened and continued.

"We Saiyans were a warrior race like none," the alien said as he leaned back again, "We were the scourge of the universe, delivering major ass kicking to those that we thought needed to be ass kicked. We trained ourselves from birth to kick ass and few could surpass us in that department. Others who wished to have some ass kicking delivered sought our services to do it for them. We were quite nasty pieces of works."

"So you were like mercenaries and stuff?"

"You could call it that, young lady," the Saiyan said, "although I am sure the dictionary would use a dictionary."

"Well, me and the dictionary don't always see eye to eye," Buffy replied.

"I noticed," the Saiyan grinned.

"Why did you say were and not are," Buffy asked.

"You had your question," Belmovekk said, "now answer me mine. What is a vampire slayer?"

"You heard the speech I gave to Rickboy. In every generation is born a slayer to kick bad guy ass and keep the world safe for the oblivious people to be oblivious in."

"I heard that part, young lady," the Saiyan said, "it explains what you are, but what does it mean?"

Buffy held up her hand and started to count.

"It means I get lots of extra strength, reaction time, faster healing, enhanced senses and lots of sleepless nights waiting for the likes of Rick to rise from their graves. That would be on a good night."

"And on a bad night," Belmovekk asked her.

"Then I get my ass kicked if lucky or totally owned when not," Buffy replied quckly, as if to ignore the subject, "now my question. Why did you say were instead of are?"

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow, then he answered.

"I used past tense because nowadays the Saiyan race has two slight problems. First our home world was kinda destroyed and secondly 99.99 of us were on it at the time."

"Ouch! Thats gotta hurt," Buffy said, "are there many of you left?"

"Only three that I know off, including me," Belmovekk shrugged, to him it happened ages ago, he got over it, "they're all here by the way. How does a slayer get born into every generation?"

"Simple," Buffy replied, "a slayer dies, a new girl becomes the slayer. I became it two years ago. What do you mean when you said there were more of your kind here and that you were nasty pieces of work?"

"Well, for some strange reason the prince of all Saiyans ended up here. He lives up north by the way. He is a nasty piece of work. The other one lives across the ocean. He's married and has a kid. Nice guy. We're not sure how he got here but he fell on his head as a baby and has been as sweet as a baby ever since. Saved this world a couple of times from what I gathered. He has gotten himself a wife a kid and collected a motley group of friends, mostly humans, who could probably all kick your ass from here to the moon, young lady. The Slayer may be stronger then 99.99 of all humans but that still leaves a tiny percentage who aren't ."

"How can this be," Buffy said shaken, "Giles said I was the Slayer. That nothing human could rival the Slayer."

"He is obviously wrong," Belmovekk smiled, "like I said, you are good, young lady, but compared to them you are hopelessly outclassed. Who is Giles?"

"He's my watcher," Buffy replied.

"Your watcher?"

"There this secret group of people who seek out slayers and potential slayers and then train them to be fight the baddies."

"Bizarre," the Saiyan nodded as he mulled it over, "secret societies, never a good thing, young lady. Secrets do bad things to secret societies. They are usually more trouble then they are worth. After a while they are usually more busy keeping secrets then what they were originally formed for."

"That's the tweed brigade to a fault," agreed Buffy, "Giles, he is my second watcher. The first got killed more then a year ago by this big uber vamp. These watchers are usually very British and very stuffy."

"Britain, a country in Europe," said the Saiyan as he tapped his scouter, as if to see something, "oh, that one. I past it on the way here."

"Did I also mention they are also very big on tweed? So did your spaceship pass it on the way here?"

"No, I used something called Concorde,"the Saiyan replied getting a weird look, "why are you looking at me like that, young lady? Paris to New York in a few hours is not that bad if you don't want to attract attention from the wrong people. I am new here."

"You are new here but you still manage to fly with the Concorde," snorted Buffy, "how insane is that?"

The Saiyan shrugged.

"First thing they teach you in special training. When on a mission maintain a low profile and use local transport. Don't they teach you anything, young lady?

"Giles tries," Buffy smiled, "but then he goes all stuffy and I just zone out. Giles tried to me to behave like all the other slayers they had in the past but luckily he has lightened up in the past year. "

The Saiyan didn't respond but seemed lost in thought. Buffy took another sip from the alien's drink when suddenly the Saiyan looked at her again.

"What a minute, young lady, you said a slayer dies, some other girl becomes the slayer. How long do slayers last?"

Buffy frowned, that was the part of being the slayer that she hated and prefered not to dwell upon.

"From what Giles told me I'm already in the top group of longest living slayers the watchers know of. Most don't seem to make it past the first year."

That seemed to shock the Saiyan.

"And this is acceptable to these people," he asked, "to send out girls like you to fight these vampires and other demons all alone knowing fully well that they could die?"

"Well, we have these slayer skills and stuff," Buffy objected, "it's not the way I want it, but what can you do about it?"

"Young lady, no offense, your skills ain't bad but you lack any rudimentary skills in chi usage. Any Saiyan 4 year old would have wiped the floor you."

"I know you've beaten me, general Zod, but there's no need for the Joan Collins 'tude," Buffy bit back.

"Joan Collins 'tude? You have some weird expressions, young lady," Belmovekk replied shaking his head, "but the point I'm trying to make is that with a little extra effort and training you could be so much more. And it is not because we Saiyans have the secret of the universe to this knowledge. It exists on this world also. To not teach it to girls like you is beyond obscene, this...this is callous neglect. These watchers should be all painfully killed for allowing this to happen. In fact, I would kill them all on the spot if you ask it of me, young lady."

"OK, first of all, now you are getting me power-freaked," Buffy said, and she meant it. He was starting to freak her out.

"Secondly, would you please stop calling me young lady. My name is Buffy. Thirdly, it's OK, I..."

"No I don't find this OK, young lady," the Saiyan said as he hopped of the grave and looked at her pensively, "it irks me mightily that most of you girls don't make it past year one. We Saiyans used to send some of our children to other worlds to either die in combat or enrich our gene pool by surviving. It was inexcusable but we did not know any better. We were wrapped in our glorious warrior ethos. But this worse, it reeks of complacent negligence. With that kind of death rate you kids should not be allowed to go out at all.. Especially alone. You need some back up at least."

"But I have back up," protested Buffy, "I have friends who help me, fight by my side."

"Are they as strong as you, young lady," Belmovekk asked, cupping an elbow with his hand so the other hand could support his chin.

He had her there. Her friends couldn't support her. At least not in that way. They could not even defend themselves fro the dangers they faced. They gave good moral support but she feared that one day she might not be able to save them. That one day she would slip up and let harm befall one of them. Or all. Especially Xander. At least Giles and Willow had the good sense to not go into the thickest of frays. But Xander did insist in following her into the thickest of frays. And while she supported the gesture she did suspect he had ulterior motives for it, things she could never hope to live up to.

"No, but they are good friends," she said eventually, "Giles knows everything there is in the world, Willow is very smart, and Xander is... he's morale guy. What's gotten in you, Belmo? You suddenly look so wild bunch."

The Saiyan raised an eyebrow at the shortening of his name but then his eyes narrowed.

"You haven't seen me angry, young lady," he said, "I enjoyed our spar, even though you are light years below my league, but I am royally pissed that girls like you are thrown away like cannon fodder by those who should do the actual fighting themselves. If Goku's friends can reach strengths bigger then yours, surely they train you girls better. Instead th at council seem to be pissing away you girls instead. Girls like you should not have to go out at night and get themselves killed. They should be like other girls doing what they do."

The Saiyan mulled it over some more and then reached an decision.

"This is your lucky night, young lady," he said, "I happen to find myself with some spare time for the coming few years. As a Saiyan I can't stay idle so I must train to improve myself. It is in my blood. I invite you to train with me. I will make it my business to make you the longest living slayer ever in history. I am going to teach you the skills and training my people gave me."

"You're going to teach me how to fly and that kind of stuff," Buffy asked surprised. The Saiyan smiled and nodded in agreement.

"By the time I am finished with you, young lady, you are going to kick my sorry ass from here to the moon. Well, maybe not me but certainly a lot of nasties. Come here tomorrow evening and we shall start. In fact, bring your friends as well so I will train their asses too and I can tear your watcher a new asshole for sending you out alone."

"Most of the time Giles comes along, though," Buffy replied defending her watcher. After all he wasn't that bad. Most of the time. OK, 99.99.

"Does he fight along your side?"

"Most of the time he observes and gives pointers," replied Buffy and then pointed as if she remembered something when that didn't impress the Saiyan, "he's also very good at figuring stuff out. He hits the books better then anyone. Of course he does, he owns thems. Besides, its quiet at the moment. No need for him to be around all the time."

"At least that's something," Belmovekk said and knelt down before Buffy, "You have talent, young lady. You have been both blessed and cursed. I can sort of relate to that. I too had no say in which paths my life was going to take me. Most of it anyway. Although you are a bit late in life to start the training I can give you, because you are the slayer you have a better position to start with then most. I think you are stronger then I was when they first tutored me."

"Are you going to teach me all sorts of Seances weapons and stuff," Buffy smiled, "that would be cool."

"Weapons," Belmovekk snorted, "ee Saiyans don't need weapons. Who needs weapons when you can do this?"

And with that Belmovekk created a ball of energy in his right hand and threw it against the gravestone of poor Rick the ex vampire. It blew up into a million pieces.

"See you tomorrow, young lady," Belmovekk said and flew up into the air, for once leaving Buffy in a state that Giles would have called bliss, speechless.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six **

**'He's green?'**

_Chapters 5 to 6 came out in one go as 1 to 3 originally. They were my attempt at getting to grips with writing a Buffy crossover. Later chapters were written as I saw fit, out of sequence and benefitted from the experience gained in here. As for the Scoobies powerlevels, I just made them up. _

* * *

When Giles heard of last nights events he immediately started to clean his glasses. Or as Xander had dubbed it, the Giles maneuvre..

"Are y-y-you sure he said he was an a-a-alien and not some demon from another dimension, Buffy," Giles asked after a hefty cleaning session.

"Yup," she nodded, "that's what he said. Didn't quite feel like a vamp or demon. Didn't feel quite human either. If a vamp goes an 8 ir 9 on the Buffydar he'd rate about a 2.5. Called himself a Séance.

"Are you sure of that?"

"If you're going to say are you sure one more time I'm going to spank you," Buffy said slightly annoyed.

"Oh, that I gotta see," Xander said, suddenly all attention.

"I'm sorry," Giles said as he put his glasses back on, "it's just not every day we encounter aliens."

"You mean I encounter aliens," Buffy snorted, "but what's the diff? Demons, aliens, it's a big universe right?"

"Tremendous," said Xander, "the final frontier."

"The undiscovered country," Willow added.

"Alright, I get the picture," Giles said.

"Surely at some time something from the big black must have come here and bumbed heads with the Slayer," Buffy asked.

"There are rumors," Giles replied after some thinking, "but not many."

"Makes sense," said Xander, "after all, you guys watch the supernatural. Maybe there is something else for the extraterrestrial."

"Xander, you're not helping," Giles said slightly annoyed, "and don't you dare mention that abominable X-files show!"

"I think he's starting to know you," Willow whispered to Xander.

"No he doesn't," Xander whispered back, "I was thinking of X-Com."

"Let's get back to the matter at hand, " Giles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "like our alien friend. Buffy, you said he could blow up things by creating energy balls?"

"That's what he did," Buffy said as she sat next to her friends, "if you want you can go see the crater at the cemetery. Its the secluded one on the east side."

"I-I-I'm sure you were correct, Buffy," Giles replied. It still didn't ring any bells.

"Is there anything in the books about Saiyans," asked Xander.

"No," said the librarian, "it's like Buffy said, they are all about vampires, demons, and monsters, not aliens. Like I said, beyond some old rumors we've just never encountered any."

"That is a major gap in your literature, Giles," said Xander, "maybe you should do a quick studying up. I suggest renting the complete seasons of the original Star Trek. Although I would refrain from the newer series. The Next Generation and DS9 are OK, but Voyager is a major suckfest. I also wholeheartedly endorse Babylon 5. What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I worry for you sometimes," Buffy said shaking her head.

"So I like that kid of stuff," said Xander defensively," it's harmless. It's not as if I get drunk late Friday night and go all soccer hooligan on everybody.

"I could check the Internet," offered Willow.

"You do that," said Giles.

"You know the G-man is spooked if he doesn't include words like infernal contraption when you mention the word Internet," whispered Xander to Willow who couldn't help but smile. But despite Willow's best attempts she couldn't dig up anything about Saiyans.

"There is nothing about Saiyans, Giles," she said, "just lots of stuff about little Grey men with big eyes who abduct people."

"Those are probably just inhabitants of the Xor dimension," said Giles absentminded, "they like to drop in from time to time and pester people. Relatively harmless."

"Relatively harmless, if you enjoy anal probes that is," joked Xander.

"Oh," said Buffy as she remembered something, "he did mention that there were two others like him on this planet. On to the north, on on the other side of the ocean and that he had assembled a group of which was also kind of strong. And he did drop a name, a Goku or something."

"Let's see if we can find anything about that," said Willow as she called up her bookmarks and search engines.

"What kind of stupid name is Goku," remarked Xander.

"It's Asian and I'll bet there are a lot of Asians who think Xander is a weird name either," said Giles.

"Thats because they are Asians, G-man, I happen to think my name is rather stylish. Protector of mankind. Revered in India they say."

"Except in Persia," Giles remarked of handed, "which isn't that surprising as Alexander did burn down their capi..."

Giles stoped talking and raced to his books, his mind already on other things. Dusting off some old watcher journals he frantically started looking in thems.

"I don't know which geek is scarier," said Xander to Buffy, "Willow on the computer or Giles and his books."

'Yeah," agreed Buffy, "battle of the ubergeeks. Although you seem to be holding up also, captain Xander."

"We will never be able to shake of the social stigma," Xander said to himself as he held up his hand in the Vulcan greeting gesture.

* * *

In the end both came through.

'I knew it," said Giles triumphantly, "I knew I've came across the name of Goku at one time or another. More then 7 years ago a watcher in the Far East reported of a certain martial arts event called Tenka ichi Budokai. Extremely secluded, for the incrowd only."

"Oh, like that Jean-Claude Van Damme movie," said Xander, "where he wins that tournament and kills bricks. And very nasty bricks they were to."

"Please," snorted Buffy, "that guy is so carbon dated. All he ever does is show off how good he can do a split."

"At least he can act just a little better then that Steven Seagall," said Xander, "he only has one expression, you know the one where it looks like he cosntantly smells a number two."

"But that aikido stuff of his looks cool though," said Buffy.

"Anyway," continued Giles before it degenerated into another movie vs. Movie discussion, "this tournament. Sometimes some demons go there as well to compete. Since its forbidden to kill a contestant the Watchers Council isn't that concerned. Although when ever its being held and a local slayer exists they've been known to enter her.

Now apparently a guy named Son Goku appeared at the time for the third time in a row and entered the competition. At first the watcher didn't take notice of the guy except for his weird hair that, and I quote 'has Newton moaning in his grave since it defies the laws of gravity as we know it' and a pair of eyes that weren't blue, green or brown but ink black."

"That's that Belmovekk guy," said Buffy, "he also had those eyes and extreme gel mouse hair."

"I'm sure he does," said Giles, "anyway. Except for his appearance the watcher was more interested in some of the other contestants. Including what he believed to be a green skinned demon."

"Green as in hot captain Kirk green," smiled Xander? Giles just sighed and continued.

"It seems this Goku continued to win every match and both he and the green demon made it to the finals. Apparently their battle has become the stuff of legends. I'm not sure if I can believe this but both apparently fired blasts of energy at each other and the demon was able to increase its size to enormous. This does sound bloody ludicrous. No wonder nobody paid much attention to this report."

"Does it ever say who won this little shindig," asked Xander.

"Goku apparently," Giles said after giving the report another look, "after he and that demon basically ruined the arena. It was so damaged they haven't had one since. Strangely it says he didn't kill the demon afterwards, he'd just let him go."

"There's a first," said Buffy, "usually its more see demon, slay demon."

"Something I normally wholeheartedly endorse," Xander said, "but in this case not that strange since Giles did say they had this no killing rule. Why are you looking at me like that. I pay attention. Sometimes."

"There's a report on the Internet," said Willow triumphantly.

"A what," said Giles.

"An eye witness report," said Willow smug and turned her laptop around, "it seems there was this guy and he went there and saw the whole thing. So he put a report of it on the Internet It even has some pictures. Look!"

Willow clicked on a link so the others could see it.

"That is some seriously freaky hairdo," commented Xander as he saw Goku's picture, "us that Bel guy anything like it?"

"Not quite," Buffy said, "he looks freaky but not that freaky looking. How on Earth can hair stand sideways like that without industrial strength gel?"

"Here's a picture of that demon," said Willow and clicked on another link.

"He is green alright, but most definitely not in a hot captain Kirk green way," said Xander.

"He may be green but it seems he shops at the palace of thousand and one nights,"commented Buffy, "those shoulder pads are so 80's."

"It says here that they were solid metal and extremely heavy," said Willow.

"Auch," said Xander, "no wonder he's so big and strong. And sour looking."

"Do you know what kind of demon he is, Giles," asked Willow.

"I'm not sure. I know of only one demon who looks like that but he was much much older."

"Maybe there are more of them," suggested Buffy. Giles said nothing but went fumbling some books of his. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He put the book he was holding on the table and pointed to a drawing.

"He looks kinda like him," said Xander after looking at both the picture and the drawing, "if you give him a major case of botox."

"If you think away the knarly old goat look there is some resemblance," said Buffy, "internet guy looks young, picture guy looks ancient!"

"Piccolo the demon king," said Giles, "a very nasty piece of pure evil. He is supposed to have killed several Slayers. Rumor has it a martial artist managed to lock him up in a bottle. Another rumor has it that he escaped but was killed several years ago."

"I'm detecting a pattern here" said Xander as he started twirling an imaginary moustache, "a martial artist kind of pattern."

"I think you are right," said Giles as he closed his book, "I think we should be having a nice chat with this mister Belmovekk. Tonight."

* * *

That evening Giles walked wearily into the cemetery. He had insisted on going first and ordered Buffy and the Scoobies to remain outside, just in case. The cemetery itself was as quiet as it should be at night. It seemed utterly deserted. Giles did find the crater that used to be the grave of Rick the unfortunate vampire. It was indeed utterly blown to pieces, as if blown from the inside out. After finishing his examination Giles looked around.

"A-a-are you here," he called out, "You did ask for our presence."

"That I did," said a voice behind him. Giles turned around. Where only a second ago there was nothing now sat a man on a grave dressed just like Buffy had described him with a device over his left eye and ear. He looked most intently at him as if trying to see his soul.

"A-a-are you Belmovekk the Saiyan," Giles asked nervously. The man did feel slightly diffeent from other humans.

"That I am," the Saiyan replied, "are you the Watcher?"

"I am," Giles said as both he and the Saiyan were sizing eachother up.

"Where is the girl, Watcher," The Saiyan asked eventually.

"She's outside,"Giles said, trying to sound casually under the piercing gaze of the Saiyan, "I didn't want her to come in before we had a chance to meet."

For a minute neither man said anything.

"I could have killed you, Watcher," the Saiyan finally said, "I am sure the girl has conveyed my misgivings regarding the policies of your group?"

"She did."

"And still you came alone."

"She is in my care, mister Belmovekk," Giles said, "I do what I can but I cannot do everything. I lack her physical skills."

"So you do more then just watch and sent her out to face the demons alone, watcher?"

"I could never do that, mister Belmovekk," Giles retorted passionated, "please, call me Giles. Like I said, she is in my care. I'd give my life for her if it could make a difference. If I didn't think she could handle it alone I would be by her side."

"You are...fond of her?"

Giles was surprised by that question. He'd never consider it like that. Her independent way of doing things, her snippy remarks and her pigheadedness sometimes did make him feel a hundred years older, but he had to admit, he had grown quite fond of her.

"I guess I do," he said eventually," she's a force of nature but losing her would make me feel...empty. I couldn't imagine not having her around me."

The alien seemed to soften a bit and jumped of the grave.

"Good, you do care about her," he said approvingly, "that is good. That speaks for your character. Did you have fun digging up the dirt on Goku and his friends?"

If Giles was surprised he didn't show it. Much.

"You were eavesdropping on us?"

The Saiyan started to smirk.

"It is always wise to learn more of who you are dealing with. After all I was trained as an infiltrator."

"I guess so," Giles replied, "what's your interest in Buffy?"

"I was in the neighborhood when my scouter," he tapped the device on his head, "went off. I was doing some investigating into this place when it noticed her. She is above most of her kind."

"She's the Slayer, of course she is."

"But not by that much, master Giles. There are powers on this planet who make her almost insignificant."

"This Goku I presume?"

"Very perceptive, mister Giles,"the Saiyan continued, "to put it into an perspective you can understand, if Buffy is a bright light in the dark, Goku is a nuclear reactor powering a whole continent. I had to suppress most of my power to almost nothing to bring myself down to her level."

"If she's that insignificant, then why bother with her," Giles asked. He was not sure about the analogy, but the question seemed valid to him.

"Nobody is insignificant, master Giles," the Saiyan replied, "do not let anybody tell you that. Goku is extraordinary not because he's immensely strong, but because he is willing to put himself between the people he hardly knows and immense danger without regard. Buffy is similar. I admire that quality in people. Truth be told I have not always been like that."

"What were you then," Giles asked. Buffy had said the Saiyan didn't like what his people had been but now he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

The Saiyan got up and turned his back to Giles as he looked at Sunnydale. Then he looked back over his shoulder.

"For most of my early life I was the very thing this girl has been created for to kill," he said, "utterly ruthless and merciless. We Saiyans weren't called the scourge of the universe for nothing."

"And nowadays?"

The Saiyan sighed and shrugged..

"I try to fight the good fight, master Giles. That's why I am offering to train your Slayer."

"And why does she need your assistance," Giles prodded for more answers, "why aren't you helping your friend Goku instead?"

"Oh, I will," Belmovekk said staring before him, "its just that he does not need any help for the next couple of years."

"Some sort of prophecy," Giles asked. Over the years he had aquired a sort of six sense for the blasted things and this felt like prophecy written all over it.

"Multiple ones," the Saiyan snorted in disgust, "ones that will bite your head off.

"Can we help?"

The Saiyan looked over his shoulder again and smiled.

"Most kind of you to offer, but the way you are now, I do not think so. From what I gather you deal with local issues. Mine are way beyond local.

"We've had our share of bad luck, mister Belmovekk," Giles said, "we're not that incompetent. We may not be so strong as you or that Goku. But we did save the world not so long ago."

"I'm sure you guys did, master Giles," the Saiyan smiled, "but there is one thing that sets your Slayer apart from me, Goku and his friends."

"And whats that?"

"If I or Goku dies its over. I cannot allow myself to lose. If your slayer dies some other poor girl will have to bear the brunt instead. If the fight becomes desperate and you have lost too much in the process it can become mighty tempting to pass the fight to somebody else. I suspect that is why most of those girls don't live that long. She has already said she has made it for longer then most. She is pushing the boundaries of her luck. She needs all the help she can get to become the longest living slayer ever. I like her, she has spirit and has not let this slayer thing get to her yet. I would hate to see her go down because she feels its time for somebody else to bear the burden."

Giles couldn't help but agree. Slayers weren't known for their longevity and losing Buffy was a fear that gave him many sleepless nights.

"So what exactly do you propose," he asked. The Saiyan turned around.

"I cannot be here all the time, master Giles, I have other responsibilities. But I pledge to use whatever free time I have to train Buffy in my techniques and abilities. Under ordinary circumstances she is a bit old for this training. Normally Saiyan children start training once their mother stops nursing them. But her slayer abilities will help. By the time I am finished with her she will be able to kick ass with the best, fly on her own power and fire chi blasts that can level mountains. It will greatly enhance her chances of surviving. It will also be a double edged sword however. The more unique she becomes, the greater her responsibility. She will no longer have the ability to pass them on to another by dying. For the next slayer will just be like all the others."

"And that is bad because...?"

"Everything is a doubled edge sword, master Giles. Even I have found it mighty tempting to think about just giving up from time to time. And I have lived for thousands of years."

"Thousands of years," Giles gasped like a fish on dry land. It boggled the mind.

"I look younger then my years, master Giles," Belmovekk grinned at Giles' reaction, "I ask only two things in return, mister Giles."

"And they are?"

I know your watcher organization is a secret society. I request that you do not tell them anything about me or my friends. While I do not mind the hassle, I am sure most of them would. And I know at least one who will be very upset with consequences I cannot guarantee if he ever gets disturbed."

"I can understand that," said Giles and pointed towards where Buffy and the others were, " but I'm sure you can understand if there are any bad consequences for Buffy I have no choice but to inform my superiors."

"Fair enough," the Saiyan shrugged, "you are free to take notes though of the training regime for future use by your organization and pass them on. Just do not mention where you got them from. Make up a nice story that you've met some martial artist."

"And what is the other request?"

"I wish for you to make discrete enquirers to find a certain scientist named Gero."

* * *

"What do you think they are talking about," wondered Willow as they observed the goings on from outside the cemetery.

"I say he's evil," said Xander, "let's slay the bastard, just to be sure."

"I don't think he's slayable Xan," said Buffy thinking of her previous fight.

"You defeated the master, Buff," Xander said, "you kicked Spike's ass, what's one alien to you?"

"Hello, elephant vs. Mosquito here," objected Buffy, "with me being the mosquito. Besides, he doesn't feel evil. Strange, yes, evil no."

"Well he does look like it," huffed Xander, "look at his tattoo's."

"But there are some very nice people with tattoo's," Willow interjected.

"And they drive big bikes, Wills" replied Xander to his best friend, "big bikes, selling dope to children, they give normal policemen the wiggins and SDPD keystone cops an euphemism to explain away vampire attacks."

"Euphemism, Xan," Buffy asked looking weird at Xander.

"My new word of the day, Buff," Xander replied then quickly changed the subject, "ah, it would appear that the G-man has reached an understanding with biker boy. I think he wants us to come."

"Let's go then," said Buffy. So she and her two Scoobies joined Giles to meet the stranger.

"Ah, young lady, so nice to meet you again," the Saiyan smiled, arms folded across his chest, "these are your friends?"

"Yep, this here is my Xander shaped friend Xander and this is my Willow shaped friend Willow," she said introducing her friends. Xander for once refrained from making any remarks and said nothing as he assessed the Saiyan. Willow meanwhile was to taken aback to say anything. The Saiyan himself just nodded but didn't offer his hand, only tapped the device on his left ear.

"And you guys help her to fight evil," he said eventually, "I am impressed."

"Buffy," said Giles, "Belmovekk and I have talked and reached an understanding. I believe his intentions to be good and he has offered to give you additional training to enhance your fighting skills."

"So you're going to teach her in the ways of the force," Xander said making his first wisecrack.

The alien didn't laugh.

"Just a joke man," Xander said defensively, "no need to go Darth Vader on me!"

"Must be another cultural reference I am not familiar with," said the Saiyan and shook his head.

"Welcome to my world," said Giles rolling his eyes, "at times they drive me nuts."

"Don't worry, Belmo," said Buffy, "If you are going to train me, you'll get to know every little pop culture joke there is."

"There will be no escaping it," muttered Giles softly.

"So now that we are all friends when are we going to start," asked Buffy.

"Oh, I'll start tonight if you're ready, young lady," the Saiyan said, "but first I must ask, do you wish for me to train you?"

The question baffled Buffy.

"I though you wanted to train me," she asked taken aback, "yesterday you were all about helping me?"

"Oh, I have every intention in helping you, young lady," Belmovekk said, "but as a certain Tolnedran saying goes, no gift is ever free of sorrow. By accepting my training you will become probably the strongest and longest living slayer in history. But it will also greatly increase your responsibilities. The greater the power, the more people will come to you for aid. It means you will no longer have an easy way out because if you don't rise to the occasion, nobody else can."

For once Xander didn't feel the need the unleash a zinger. He could see that Buffy and Wilow couldn't quite yet understand what the Saiyan was saying but in a moment of perfect clarity he could. There would be no way back from now on. Part of him wished that Buffy would decline.

"I'll accept," said Buffy.

"I will have full say in your training, young lady. My word is final in this affair. Do you understand that? As far as training is concerned when I say jump, you only say how high."

"I get it. You're the sensei, I'm the grasshopper," Buffy replied, "and could you please call me Buffy?"

"Not a chance in the world, young lady," Belmovekk grinned, "so be it. Lets get started."

"Now," Buffy asked, "what about patrolling? Don't you need to asses me in action or something?"

"Why? I saw you last night? As for your inefficient patroling needs, let me take care of that. In fact this will be your first lesson so you can understand somewhat of the powers you can expect to wield.," the Saiyan said and tossed Buffy his scouting device.

As she cought it she studied the device. I twas undeniably more advanced then anything she had seen on Earth yet at the same time it looked anciënt.

"What do I do with it," she asked.

"Just mount it like I did," the Saiyan replied.

She did as asked.

"Ugh, its all warm and sweaty inside,"she said as she put it on.

"Don't be squeamish, girl," Belmovekk snorted disapprovingly, "be lucky you are not back on planet Vegeta. My teachers would have whipped the flesh of your back for such a remark. "

"For goodness sake, you're not going to whip her," objected Giles somewhat shaken.

"Off course not," Belmovekk said and pointed at her, "look at her, pouting those lips and those puppy eyes. She's just messing with us with all the weapons in her arsenal. I could never whip her."

Then he looked at Xander and a smirk appeared.

"The boy on the other hand, just say the word," the Saiyan smirked.

"Hey," objected Xander as he pointed to himself, "I'm not going to be the whipping boy!"

"Nobody's going to whip my Xander shaped friend," said Buffy and put her arm protectively around Xander. To her surprise Xander winced.

"Well thanks Buff, now that you just shredded my masculinity by trying to protect me I'd wish he had whipped the flesh of my bones."

"Males and their stupid pride," muttered Buffy as she let go, "suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when your skin splatters all over the place..

"There will be no whipping, so everybody relax," said the Saiyan, "young lady, now that you wear the scouter, have a look at your friends and press that button there. I have calibrated it for your script."

Buffy did as told and looked at Xander and pressed the button on the device. The number 8 appeared in the viewfinder.

"Hey, Xander, you are an 8," she said.

"Is that good or bad," Xander asked to the Saiyan.

"What the scouter senses is the lifeforce of a person, young man. The harder you train the exercises, the greater your life force will become. Your life force can be manipulated to passively increase your combat effectiveness or offensively through the use of energy attacks."

"How does that work," asked Willow interested.

"Living beings generate tiny electric fields, young lady. Most do not need much for daily life. By increasing your life force your body becomes able to generate greater fields of energy. You can tap into that power and draw it out in order to manipulate it."

"So what does 8 mean," asked Xander.

"Short answer, the scouter measures your life force and gives it an index number. From what I've measured the average human seems to have a powerlevel of 5," the Saiyan said.

"So 8 would be very good then," said the young man looking mighty pleased with himself. The Saiyan just shrugged.

"What about me, Buffy," said Willow excited, "what about me?

"It says you're 21, Will."

"Cool!"

"No! Not cool," yelled Xander suddenly very deflated, "how can she be 21 and I'm just an 8. I know for a fact that I'm stronger then Willow. Sorry Wills."

"No offense taken, Xander," Willow smiled and shrugged, "but what can I say? Technology doesn't lie!"

"Sometimes a higher powerlevel doesn't always translate into greater physical strength," said the Saiyan intrigued, "its about the strength of your lifeforce. It is not unheard of in untrained fighters, although it is not that common either. In general when you are facing a trained fighter the assigned index is usually a reliable indication of his actual strength as well. Unless they are very good fighters. In which case they can suppress their levels and look weaker then they appear. I will teach you this skill also."

"Major badness," said the young man deflated.

"Hey, Giles," said Buffy as she checked out her watcher, "you're an 18!"

Xander groaned. Even Giles now. This was shaping up to be the bane of his life, to be the most useless member of this group.

"I wonder what I am," said Buffy.

"112," said the Saiyan casually, making Xander groan even more, "you maxed out during our fight last night at 112. I suspect that when your life is really on the line you could go up to 120."

"Well, she is the slayer," Giles said, feeling slightly proud of his Slayer.

"Thats a whole extra Xander shaped friend," said Buffy teasing Xander, "now, let's see how mister Saiyan shapes up. "Whoaa!"

"What is it Buff," Xander asked fearing the worst, "even more to make me feel less then the man I'm already are?"

"See for yourself," she said and handed him the scouter, "major case of overly!"

The Saiyan just smirked as Xander mounted the device and started pressing the button on people. Giles was indeed at 18, Willow at 21.

"Hey Buff, your at 98 right now," he said.

"I thought you said I was 112," she asked the Saiyan, "I like being a 112. 112 is way better then 98.

"98 must be more like your normal condition, young lady," Belmovekk said, "apparently you naturally suppress some of your strength while there is no danger. Rest assured, if I say you maxed at 112 you are a 112. Besides, its hardly useful to go through life maxed out. It can be stressful to the body. Let alone to your surroundings. Imagine breaking everything you pick up because your maxed out."

"I remember having that at first," said Buffy, "everything I tried to pick up broke."

"Exactly Which is why I always suppress my own strength to more manageable proportions. One has to blend in you know. Besides, it pays to keep something in reserve. To make your enemy think you are weaker so you can surprise him when he least expect it."

"Ah, fuck! I so hate my life," said Xander, giving the scouter to Willow after checking out the Saiyan, "I can live being the weakest, but by so much?"

"What is it Xan," she asked.

"Just look at the man," Xander said. Willow put on the device and looked at the Saiyan.

"Oh," was all she said, giving it to Giles.

"Now I'm getting really curious," said Giles and looked at the Saiyan. The scouter indicated 10.000.

"10.000! My goodness! I see what you mean."

"And that is probably suppressed," said Xander, "for all we know he could max at a million. Please don't tell me that's your max. You'd make me feel really inadequate that way."

The Saiyan just smirked but indicated that he'd like the device back.

"Oh, of course, " said Giles and handed it back. The Saiyan took the device and mounted it back to his left ear and started to press another button.

"Excuse me while I ensure that nobody is going to bother us for the rest of the night." he said. The Saiyan cupped his hands together in front of him and started to concentrate. His breathing increased and suddenly the air started to move around him. It increased in strength when suddenly white flames erupted around him and winds started to blow.

"He's on fire," said Xander.

"No, i-i-its not it," said Giles, "its energy, a visible manifestation of his power. If we still had the device we would probably see a much increased powerlevel.

"Guys," said Willow, "I'm almost being blown away here."

Suddenly the Saiyan raised his hands in the air and unleashed a beam of energy that went straight into the air, disappearing into the clouds over Sunnydale. Then the Saiyan relaxed and his white flame aura disappeared.

"Now that was anti-climatic," said Buffy. The Saiyan just started to smirk again.

Suddenly it rained beams of energy on every cemetery in the Sunnydale urban area, all striking every grave. It didn't destroy them but it did penetrate small holes into every grave. Within seconds smoke started to come from every grave.

"What did you just do," asked Giles.

"I made sure there would be no new arrivals this evening, master Giles," the Saiyan smirked as he folded his arms across his chest again, " I hit every grave in this area with enough energy to incinerate every body inside."

"Then the smoke..."

"Corpsicle barbecue," smiled Xander, he liked it already, "guaranteed to ruin the day of every fledgling. Cool!"

"Poor dead people," said Willow sadly as she examined a grave with a small smoking hole, "cooked in their own graves."

"Why," asked the Saiyan surprised, "they are dead! Its not as if they were going to rise again. And if they did they would not be themselves anyway."

The Saiyan smacked his hands together, then rubbing them in glee.

"Now, shall we get really started?"

"Can you teach me also," asked Xander. The Saiyan raised an eyebrow, then he smiled.

"You're welcome if you want to," he asked.

"Can you at least make me an 80," Xander asked pleadingly, "I'm sick of being everybody's buttmonkey."

"I have absolutely no idea what a buttmonkey is, young man," Belmovekk said but from Xander's look he could do a fair estimation, "to be honest, I think you lack the aptitude of Buffy here. So don't expect to ever get near her level."

Xander looked rather depressed at that remark. The Saiyan put his hand on Xander's shoulder.

"Don't hold up your hopes to high, young man. What is, is! Don't dwell on what can never be. Still, not all hope is lost. She is in a league of her own. For all we know as a regular human you may be above standard. I think I can train you to be an 800 at the very least."

Xander's face shone like a thousand stars.

"Yes! No more buttmonkey!"

Xander's happiness caused the Saiyan to smile. Then he remembered something.

"First some other things before I forget. Does anyone know of a good secluded spot were we can practice in future," the Saiyan asked, "preferably not to close to town?"

"Hanscom park, " said Buffy and pointed to the other side of town, "less graves. Lots of vamp nests though, that is why nobody ever comes there."

"Good, tomorrow evening we will go there," Belmovekk said, "I will kill the critters so we can have our work outs in peace. Now, back to business . If either master Giles or the other young lady wishes to participate, just say the word."

"No thanks," they said as they seated themselves on a grave, "we'll just watch."

Belmovekk shrugged and then gestured Buffy and Xander to follow him to a more open spot in the cemetary.

"OK, Buffy and what was it again, Xander right? Good. First some basic rules, then we are going to do some warming up. And then we'll start with the basic Saiyan chi kata. All Saiyan 2 year olds start with this. It will hurt like hell tomorrow so be sure to put some painkillers beside your bed. Otherwise you will not be able to get out of bed.

Now, I expect diligent adherence to whatever training regime I specify. There will be no excuses or pouting to get out of training or not doing any of the exercises. Besides me only master Giles or a crisis can give you an excuse to skip training. If I learn you have been slacking off I will put you through so much forms of hell you will wish you had walked out the gates this evening and said no to my offer."

"Oh, suppose I have a hot date waiting at the Bronze," asked Buffy.

"Then you will have to go after training or reschedule your date, young lady. In your case the literal truth is that training is life. Your life. There can be no hot dates once you are dead."

This answer was not to Buffy's liking so she unleashed her pouting.

"Yes, but what if cute guys, nice time, smoochies?"

"In which case, push ups, many, vomiting," Belmovekk said unimpressed, "now, you will at least train with me about every day, cause your bodies need that day of to rest. Later when they become more used to the training I will alternate between more intense workouts and lighter more technical oriented training. When I am not around, which will undoubtedly be often, master Giles will supervise your training according to whatever schedule I set. In which case his word is like mine, the word of God!

Now, boy and girl, is that clear?"

Buffy and Xander nodded.

"OK! Now that we have the groundrules settled we can really begin."

The Saiyan assumed a straight position towards a certain point in the heavens, clenching his fists while crossing his arms in front of his chest. Then he dropped on one knee to the ground and touched the ground with his fists and said something in a language no one could understand.

"OK, warm up time," he said afterwards, "welcome to my house of pain, boy and girl."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven **

**'Aches and pains'**

AN: _A short chapter, way to short IMHO to be a chapter. But the next one got so out of hand, copy/pasting it on would make it even bigger._

* * *

"I want to die," said Xander the next day as he dropped down in a chair in the school's library, "I hurt in places I never knew. I think I hurt in places I don't even have."

"I have to agree," said Buffy dropping down as well, "even I hurt. Although probably not as much as you, Xander. I hope you don't feel as terrible as you look."

"Much, much worse Buff," Xander replied with gritted teeth as he straightened one of his legs, "be very, very glad for your slayer strengths."

"Hey, you wanted it, Xan. You got it. Be careful what you wish for. What were you thinking."

"I thought of that myself throughout the night," admitted Xander as he straightened another leg, " especially when I woke up and even reaching for the painkillers was a whole new glorious adventure in pain. Ah, that's better."

"I have to say, it was most fascinating," said Giles excited as he was still busy writing down his notes from last night, "I know there are some Earth martial arts which are meant to improve your life energies."

"Like that tai chi you always make me do," Buffy said leaning over backwards in her chair.

"Exactly, Buffy. But this is way more advanced. It makes tai chi look like child's play. If the council would adopt these techniques for potentials at an early age it would revolutionize future slayers. Before a girl is called she could potentially already have near slayer power."

"I think he's very excited," said Xander, "look at his nose, its absolutely twitching."

"Absolutely,"Buffy smiled, "potential Giles overload!"

"I'm writing down Belmovekk's instructions in order to a create a new slayer training manual," sad Giles, oblivious to all comments.

"You know," said Buffy leaning over to Xander, "if he keeps this up he's going to need clean underwear."

"Please Buff, have some mercy," Xander groaned, "I hurt when I laugh."

At that moment Willow entered the library and moved on to the painful duo.

"So, how are my big strong Xander and Buffy doing?"

"Exploring the wonderful and exciting world of hurt," replied Xander, "I wish I was dead."

"Don't say things like that," said Willow in mock outrage, "you're on the Hellmouth, remember?"

"I can't think straight, Will, its the pain talking."

"Didn't you take the painkillers?"

"Up to the maximum allowed dosage and then some for good measure," Xander smiled with a big grin that quickly faded to mock horror, "and it's still not enough.

"That's not very responsible, Xander," remarked Giles.

"No, but you didn't go through military boot camp on steroids last night. So don't begrudge my scooby snacks."

Before Giles could make another reply a bird suddenly flew into the library.

"Giles,"" Xander said, "I'd point if I could but instead of talking about my scooby snacks you'd better close the windows or you're going to spend all evening cleaning the..."

The bird suddenly transformed into the Saiyan Belmovekk.

"I may be in total pain," said Xander, "but if it means I can do that later it will be all worth it. Dude, that is utter coolapalooza!"

"So how are my new pupils doing," the Saiyan asked as he walked to he painful duo.

"Let me give you a list," Xander said, "auw, auw and even more auw?"

"Lots of pain I guess," the Saiyan said with an evil grin, "that was to be expected. Especially the first time. How about you, young lady?"

"Big on the pain but I can manage it. Its already not as bad as when I woke up."

"I suspected as much," the Saiyan nodded, "you did say you got improved healing skills."

"Not fast enough if you ask me," Buffy commented. The impossible had happened. Ever since she had become the Slayer muscle ache from training had become but a memory. Her previous watcher had put her through her paces in ways unimaginable but she had never hurt. Some of Giles' exercises had been equally grueling but not exhausting. Yet now she was aching like she had never done a moments of exercise in her life.

"How come my body aches," she asked, "I train all the time but I never ached before?"

"The purpose of your training must have been to increase you combat efficiency," Belmovekk theorized, "to improve your skills so you could do more with what you have. A worthy goal. These exercises however are geared towards increasing your strength and lifeforce So you can do more because you will have more."

"I don't feel like I can do more with more," groaned Xander, "I feel like doing less with less."

"Let me have a look," the Saiyan said and showed little gentleness as he pulled up the sleeves of Xander pants and shirt, paying no head to Xander's protests. Then he started to feel around, causing more protests.

"You are all tensed up," he finally said.

"Tell me something I don't know," said Xander through gritted teeth,"oh, and by the way, your bedside manners stink."

"Forgive me, young man," Belmovekk apologized, "I am just not used to training your kind. Let me help you, I know some Saiyan massage techniques that will relieve you of your pain. If you were to remove your shirt and pants I will give you a rubdown."

Xander shook his head.

"Even though I feel like I'm being skewered with hot needles that so does not sound very appetizing," he said.

The Saiyan looked puzzled.

"What? Do you not wish to be relieved of your muscle pain," he asked.

"Yeah," admitted Xander, "but not while being handled by a man wearing only my briefs when anybody can walk in."

When Belmovekk still looked puzzled Buffy stepped. Figuratively of course because she didn't feel like stepping much.

"What Xander means is that he fears for his reputation of manliness," grinned Buffy, "this is a public space after all.".

"What has that got to do with a massage," Belmovekk asked, "don't they give massages on this world?"

"They do, but not in libraries," Buffy said.

"Oh for the love of the gods," muttered the Saiyan and pointed his hand at the door, giving a slight grunt.

"There, nobody can come in," he said, "I erected a forcefield. Now take of your clothes and get on that table, buttmonkey!"

Buffy and Willow nearly fell on the floor laughing and even Giles could hardly suppress a laughter.

"I so hate my life," muttered Xander.

* * *

His complaints quickly ceased during and after the massage.

"This is amazing," he said, "It is like its almost gone away."

"Feeling better, Xan," Buffy asked.

"You have no idea, Buffy," Xander said as he hurriedly put his clothes back on, "I'm officially downgrading pain level alert from hot penetrating meat skewers to dull pricking forks."

"That good then," Buffy asked impressed.

"You have no idea," said Xander as finished his clothes and started to pose like a body builder to prove the effects.

"Your turn, young lady," said the Saiyan and gestured to the table.

"I'd rather not do it here," said Buffy hesitantly.

Belmovekk sighed and rolled his eyes upwards.

"What is it with this world," he exclaimed, "they all act as prudes, especially the girls, yet they all dress cheaper then Marag harlots! Strip and get your ass on the table, young lady. I haven't lived for 4000 years without having fulfilled my quorum of lust or seeing my share of nubile naked young ladies. Nothing I have not seen before. I promise not to enjoy it. Much. Besides, my word is law, remember?"

"OK, but you guys better not watch," said Buffy to the other men in the library.

"Ah, come on, Buff," protested Xander trying to suppress a big smile, "you got to see me undressed!"

"Yeah, but I'm not a hormonally driven teenage male. Turn around, read a book or something. Don't we have some research mode to do on Spike?"

Sighing Xander turned around, trying to get a glimpse through the reflection in the window. Giles of course was courteous enough to immerse himself in working out his notes.

"And no looking through the reflections in the windows," said Buffy, soliciting further sighs from Xander.

"Now, you may not feel as much pain as your friend Xander," said the Saiyan, "but its still there, all tensed up. I think its better if I move tomorrows training up a day to give you two more rest. I have to to put you through your paces again to get better, not worse."

"I have to say, this does feel good," admitted Buffy when the Saiyan unleashed his massage magic.

"Of course it does, young lady, thats what its meant for."

"Are you really 4000 years old," Willow asked.

"Yes, young lady, sometimes I even feel like 4000 years as well. I am glad though that I do not look the part. Belgarath is even older, 7000 years. And he does look the part."

"That's a lot of birthday candles," Willow replied.

Belmovekk shrugged.

"After a while you just stop counting."

"Or you could make one candle count as ten instead," suggested Willow.

"Or you could do that," smiled the Saiyan.

"I'm curious," asked Giles from behind his book, "that routine you did just before starting the exercise, what was it about?"

"We take our martial arts very serious, master Giles," the Saiyan answered as he worked Buffy's legs, "like all the arts it is a creative process and in that respect divine. There are even Saiyan forms of martial arts whose only purpose is to become one with the divine."

"T-that sounds very similar to many Eastern martial arts disciplines, Giles replied, "this is most interesting."

"Because we believe that our martial arts derive from the divine no Saiyan instructor will ever begin training without first assuming a position of respect towards the home of the Gods, mount Selyesna. Then he or she must bless the training ground for the duration of the training by invoking the blessing of the Goddess of War. To forgo this would mean incurring her wrath and severe bad luck."

"Fascinating," concurred Giles

"We can't piss off the divine, can we," said Xander standing in front of the window, "this is the Hellmouth after all."

"Xander, quit peeking," yelled Buffy as she caught Xander peering a bit to much to her taste into a certain window reflection..

"Sorry," Xander said as he shifted his stance.

"Still," said Giles, "if your planet is gone, is there any real significance to this ritual, especially now that your homeworld is destroyed."

Belmovekk paused his massaging for a moment to think it over.

"Gods are funny creatures," he said as he resumed massaging, "if there is one thing I learned about Gods after 4000 years of serving my Master is that they do not always inhabit the same sphere of existence as we do. Planet Vegeta may be gone, it does not stand to follow that that the Saiyan Gods are gone. For 4000 years I have observed the ritual. I have every intention to continue. In fact since you will oversea their training in my absence you yourself must oversee the ritual."

"For 4000 years, does your kind live for that long," asked Giles.

"I ceased aging the day I became a sorcerer, master Giles"

"A sorcerer?"

"Thats how I can do the shape shifting," Belmovekk said as he moved to Buffy's arms.

"Do you use magic for that?"

The Saiyan huffed derisively.

"Magic is for beginners, master Giles. It is borrowed power. We sorcerers do not need magic spells, amulets, herbs or borrowed power. Sorcery comes within. You think of something that you want to to happen and then you will it to happen. Its a sort of similar to what I am training the youngsters here for. Chi fighting basically pumps up one's life force in order to use it in combat. A sorcerer however tries to increase his willpower in order to manipulate the material world. You do not need to be physically strong to be a sorcerer. All you need to do is to gather your will and unleash it through a word. That's why Belgarath calls it the will and the word. Smart guy, not so good with making names though."

"Seems more easy," said Buffy, "just say die to the baddies, baddies die."

Belmovekk stopped again as if she had said the dumbest thing.

"On the contrary, young lady, you need to be extra careful. While its safe to unleash your lifeforce and blast an enemy to pieces you have to be extremely careful using sorcery. You cannot just say die, you must be specific. The most dangerous thing to do is to say be not and so unmake something. The universe will not allow it. It will allow a sorcerer to create something form nothing but not to unmake something into nothing. Anyone trying to do that would be unmade himself. In the heat of battle you can say many stupid things. It would not do well to say the very thing that would destroy you yourself."

"I get it, no saying bad things, just blasting bad things," she said, then she noticed something, "Xander, quit looking!"

"Sorry Buff, I'm trying," Xander said as he again shifted space, "bad hormones, bad hormones!"

"Belgarath always says that if you want to make sure you kill somebody its infinitely better to stick a sword into said somebody," Belmovekk smiled as he resumed his massage, "less messy. Or more, depending on where you stick it, right?"

"As long as they don't bleed on me, I don't generally care," said Buffy, "you should become a professional masseur, Belmo. Can't we get him a job as the school masseur, Giles."

"I could make some inquires, if you'd like Belmovekk," Giles suggested, "it would provide you with a job and a good cover."

"Tempting," the Saiyan said as he thought it over, "but I can't be here all the time. There, finished, young lady, you can get dressed."

Buffy got up and moved her arms. The pain was almost totally gone.

"Thanks, I feel like new again, You sure don't want to become the school masseur? You'll have a fixed income and I could so get used to this."

"I have other business to attend to, young lady,"Belmovekk smiled, "and being a sorcerer has its advantages. I can always create stuff."

The Saiyan stretched out his hand above the table and out of nowhere gold coins started to fall out of nowhere on the table."

"Giles, he can create gold! That is so cool," exclaimed Willow.

"Hello, yellowwy goodness," said Xander as he moved closer and started to drool looking at the money."

"Momma needs a new pair of shoes," said Buffy gazing hungry.

"Now you've done it," said Giles shaking his heads, "you do realize they are Americans, right? They worship at the altar of the almighty dollar."

"They do? How very Tolnedran of them," the Saiyan said raising an eyebrow

Giles also came to the table and examined the gold.

"There's even a rumor at Watcher central that Alan Greenspan sacrifices a virgin once a year at the Federal Reserve."

"They do? What a weird world," the Saiyan said,and gestured towards the gold, "If you want you kids can have one of each. Do not spend it all at once. Oh, before I forget."

And with that the Saiyan conjured up a series of ankle and arm bracelets.

"Young man, young lady, I want you to start wearing these around your arms and legs."

"Do we need jewelry now to wear into battle," Buffy asked.

"No, try lifting them," Belmovekk said as he put them on the table, "these are for you and these for Xander."

Xander tried to lift one of his bracelets.

"You must be kidding, right,"he said shocked, "these must way 10 pounds each!"

"That's the whole point, young man. Through my training and by constantly wearing these weights your body will be forced to adapt to these new conditions. Once you get used to constantly moving and training in them it will help you to reach a new level of chi power far quicker then just mere exercise. When you were watching those nice pictures on that computer you were commenting on how absurd Piccolo's shoulder pieces were. They happen to weigh 10 tons these days."

"Ten tons?"

"And he only ever takes them off when the fight is going really bad," Belmovekk smiled.

"Ten tons," muttered Xander speechless.

"Mine don't weigh 10 pounds," said Buffy as she picked up one, "they must weigh at least ten times as much!"

"Well you are the slayer, you can handle more," the Saiyan said smirking, "to each his own. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Before you go could you please open the door," asked Willow, "we have to go to class and the forcefield seems to be still up."

"I almost forget," said the Saiyan and made an opening gesture. Nothing visible changed.

"Be seeing you," he said and shapeshifted into a bird again and flew out of the window.

Almost at the exact moment the library doors opened and Cordelia barged in.

"What is it with the closed doors," she said angrily, only then to have her jaw hit the floor, "hey, is that gold?"


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight **

**'Halloween'**

AN: _Originally I wasn't planning on doing a Halloween story. It has been done to death. So it basically was just Xander and Belmo talking, cut to the aftermath. But that turned out a bit short. When I had basically wrapped up the rest of the story I returned to this chapter and decided, why not?_

* * *

"Is there a problem, young man?"

Xander looked up, it was the Saiyan. Xander had been sitting alone in broad daylight in Sunnydale's central park, across Town Hall and main street. Unlike some he preferred to do his brooding in daylight. And knowing what he did from Sunnydale it was also far healthier as well.

"Hey, you're back," replied Xander. The Saiyan had been gone for a while.

"Been here since yesterday evening," Belmovek grinned, "it's been a grueling set of weeks. Traveling across this interesting world. I made some new allies in my search for Gero, I even managed to sneak in a week of training with Goku."

"Good for you," Xander said, then looked the Saiyan right in the eye, "if you were here last night, how come you didn't come by earlier?"

"Well, you try doing that after flying over that damn great ocean," Belmovekk said and nodded to the Pacific not far frm here, "all I could think of was sleep. Besides, things seemed quiet."

Xander nodded. Then something fell into place.

"Why did you ask if I had a problem. What makes you think I even have a problem, B-man?"

"The way you sit, young man. The way you looked. 4000 years of experience reading human emotions. So, go ahead and tell me. For this afternoon I'm all yours."

Xander didn't answer outright, as if still in doubt whether to spill the beans or not. The Saiyan didn't press on and just sat down next to him.

"You know, young man," he said as he looked around the square, "it really always is a nice day here! Every day the sun shines. A great day to enjoy it with others. Yet nobody seems to appreciate it. Nobody takes some time out to sit back and think, by the Gods, its good to be alive. Everybody somehow has stuff to do that seems very important but never really is. Big city people are basically all alike throughout the universe. They are all to busy worshiping the same stern and demanding God!."

"Which is," Xander asked.

"Money."

Xander mulled it over for a while and chuckled..

"The root of all evil," he agreed, "you are right. It really is a nice day. To bad there is school to go to or bills to pay."

"For what," the Saiyan said and pointed to a luxery Mercedes passing by, "most stuff people desire and slave for is in the end useless. All you need is a roof to sleep under, a good meal and some friends and loved ones to share it with."

"I wish I was different," Xander suddenly said, causing Belmovekk to raise an eyebrow.

"Don't we all, young man," he said, "so, different in what way?"

"I'm so fed up with being the buttmonkey of this group, B-man," Xander said looking straight ahead, "why does the bad stuff always happen to me? Why do I always attract the praying mantis lady, the goddamn hyena possessions, the Inca zombie princess, being frat hazed by Kappa-Beta-Demon or having to be saved from the school bully by a girl? Even if it is Buffy."

"Bad week?"

"Very bad week, B-man," Xander nodded, "it's like I always feel the joke is on poor Xander. And to top it off I can feel Buffy moving ahead, increasing the distance. I know I'm a bit stronger then I used to be but I still end up drawing the shortest straw. The useless one."

Belmovekk shifted until he was facing Xander sideways.

"Well, she is the Slayer, young man. She has this huge natural advantage over the rest of humanity. In your case it takes more time. Not even Goku's friends had that natural advantage and they are the strongest humans I know. From what I gather some of them feel quite the same way about us Saiyans. No matter what they do, they never seem to be closing the gap, only see it grow bigger and bigger."

"So how do they cope then?"

"Just doing their best I suppose," the Saiyan said, "when life deals you a bad hand you play with what you got."

Xander mulled it over for a minute.

"It just pains me that I can never be there for Buffy. Like Dead Boy always seems to be. She's training him, did you know?"

"Belmovekk raised another eyebrow.

"That disgusting vampire she hangs around with," he said. Xander nodded.

"Training a damn vamp in using chi," Xander said shaking his head in disbelief, "what is the world coming to! Even though he does have a soul and helps out from time to time. And since he's stronger then me I can't even close that gap. Damn, I just wished there was some way I could surpass at least Dead Boy."

"I must confess, I'm not that fond of the vampire myself either," Belmovekk nodded in agreement, "it just does not feel right. Especially for people like me with highly attuned senses. Still, the vampire fights the good fight. We must not be that judgmental in our allies. Most of Goku's friends were his enemies at one point. In fact they all were, maybe not Krillin. Nah, he disliked him also when they were little. Hated his guts."

"I suppose," Xander said, "I just wish they weren't that cozy all the time. I always suspect them to be locking lips behind our backs. Its not natural. A vampire and a vampire slayer together like that."

"What we do is not natural either. Lots of things are not natural eith... " Belmovekk's eyes lit up as he finally connected the dots, "I get it, you are in love with her. Are you not?"

"I'm so not in love with Buffy," Xander huffed indignified as he looked away, "especially after that stunt she pulled when she returned from LA."

"Yes, you are," Belmovekk said suppressing a smile, "I can see the signs now. You are the type that hangs out with a girl but is afraid to ask her. So you become the best friend instead. And she will never see you as anything else instead. You will comfort her when she has boyfriend troubles and comes crying to you but she will never even think that you might be the one. I pity you. No wonder you are the buttmonkey."

"Don't you start making fun of me too," Xander bit back, "I get that enough from the others. And for your information I did ask her out once. It's public knowledge these days. It's just that she said I never think of you like that, Xander."

The Saiyan gave a sympathetic face.

"Those are the worst, young man," Belmovekk said and put his hands on Xander's shoulders, "the most cruel words unknown to femalekind. Makes you want to wish that the ground would open up and swallow you whole. Of course, this being the Hellmouth maybe it be wiser to wish for something else. Death by lightning strike, collapsing roof, giant bird of prey, huge pot of gold. Don't worry. We have all heard that speech at some point. Even I."

Xander looked shocked.

"No way, not the great Belmovekk! The B-man doesn't strike me as the lovesick puppy type."

"It pleases me that you think of me as a ladiesman, young man, but back on planet Vegeta I knew this girl, boy, was she a hot piece of Saiyan ass, that's for sure," Belmovekk said smiling at the memory, "nicely athletic with superbly toned ass muscles, I must have asked her a dozen times to become my mate, but she never showed any interest in me whatsoever. She just wanted to be friends"

"Funny how they always want to be friends right after they rip your heart out. So how did it end?"

"She probably died when Frieza blew up our planet. And if not she was probably killed by his assassin squads. You know, it is kinda funny, I so had the hots for this girl back then but I have not thought about her ever since. And I was so sure she was the one eternal for me at the time. The mind is a funny thing indeed. I do not think I can really help you in this, young man. Women are the strangest beings in the universe. I have long given up on understanding them.

I can give you some advice though. Option A. do nothing and continue as before, loving her and suffering in silence while she ignores you. Option B. keep telling her how much you still love her. There is always a slim chance that she may change her mind. Sometimes the quarter needs some time to fall and I am told some women like it when a suitor persists."

"That is sick, B-man! Why do they do it?"

"A wise man once said women need three things. Food, water and compliments. And the occasional pair of shoes! I guess they do it because its nice to have a man tell they they look nice and are the most desirable thing in the universe. And because deep down they know that when the man has what he wants he will say it less or altogether stop.

As for Buffy, if she did not think of you in that way before I do not think she will do it if you continue to persist. You will experience much anguish and despair and in due time come to the insight that all hope is indeed lost. You can then drown your sorrow in strong ale and much carousing with easier women. I will join you if you like. I've done my fair share of strong ale and carousing thanks to Belgarath. So I know the drill. There is also option C."

"Which is?"

"Accept that there are some battles you cannot win and move on. The vampire occupies superior positions and no assault that you mount will dislodge him from that. Accept that there are other fish in the sea and that its better to lust after willing girls then those that do not think of you in that way. This may seem hard to grasp right now but the easiest and clearest truths always seem to be like that. But hey, at least the truth will set you free! Personally I hope you go for option C. I hate to see you suffer like this."

Belmovekk put his arm around Xander and started smirking.

"If you want we could go a hunt for strong ale and much carousing tonight. Or put you through such rigorous exercises that will leave you so exhausted and indifferent for the female gender they will think you must be gay."

"No gay thing," Xander objected, "I'm so not into that!"

"You would be surprised how good it works, young man," the Saiyan said winking, "all these girls get bothered by hormonal young men so many times a day it leaves them exhausted and indifferent. When they finally do meet a male that shows no interested in them it becomes almost like an aphrodisiac. Then again, it does not always give you control over which one comes after you."

"That sounds tempting B-man," Xander said, "but with my luck I attract I'll be lucky is she's human. Besides, that troll Snyder has sentenced me to the Halloween patrol with the kiddies. I have to take a rain check on that. I still have to get a dumb costume."

"You humans have weird customs," the Saiyan said absentminded as he leaned back again. It seemed like he was listening to something else so for a while they didn't say anything until Xander spoke up again.

"I just wish, for once, I could be an equal to Buffy," he said staring ahead, "If I can't be her lover then at least an equal friend and not some burden she has to protect all the time."

That caused Belmovekk to look up from his musings.

"I do not think you could ever be a burden to her, young man. She may not think of you as a lover, but certainly not a burden. You guys are her lifeline, her reason for continuing doing what she does night after night."

Xander gave Belmovekk the whatever look.

"Oh, you are so wrong, B-man. Precisely because she loves us as friends will she start shutting us out. If we don't go out with her night after night she doesn't run the risk that we die on her. She'd rather lose us then have to bury us. Willow might stick around longer then me because she's good with the books and tends to stay behind mostly anyway. But I suspect that even with you training me as well I will soon become the snack delivery guy for research parties."

"I find that hard to believe, young man."

"I don't," Xander snorted, "don't get me wrong, B-man, I love her to death, even as a friend, and would gladly and willingly die beside her. But I don't think she will let me. She's to protective. Angel however, somehow she's convinced herself that he's a worthy equal, capable of fighting alongside her. Even though it was me who had to drag the prince of Broodness down the drains to save her from the Master. The bastard was just to busy brooding in his room over some stupid prophecy that said Buffy would die to do anything about it."

The Saiyan mulled that over for a while. He could see the truth in Xander's words. There was much bitterness in them but also great heart and truth. It was with much regret that he came to a decision.

"Tell you what, Xander Harris," he said as he stood up and stood before the young man, "I am going to do you a favor! Although you may not think of it like that at first. But as with everything, you should be careful what you wish for, you may get it."

Xander gave the Saiyan an odd look.

"I don't understand, are you going Kosh on me?"

"You will, young man, quite soon in fact," Belmovekk replied in a way that caused Xander to feel a slight case of the wiggins to come up.

"This is your last chance, young man," the Saiyan asked, "do you really wish to be stronger, to be able to fight as an equal alongside Buffy? You can still back down and live a normal life."

That should have caused alarmbells to go off in Xander's head but the Saiyan touched on something that was a raw nerve for him

"I don't want a normal life," Xander said vehemently, "normal means becoming like my father. Normal means standing by and letting my friends die!"

The Saiyan hunched down and looked Xander in the eyes.

"I can understand that sentiment now, young man, but when I do this, everything will change. This is not about you not wanting to be a buttmonkey, or being jealous of Angel. Getting a major upgrade means your responsibilities also increase. No more Xander the clown. No matter how you feel about me, Buffy, Angel, you will have to rise to the occasion from now on."

"I've been doing that for over a year and feeling damn no appreciation for it," Xander huffed indignified, "no matter what it takes, I'll be there."

"So be it young man, your course is set," sighed the Saiyan. But to Xander's surprise he didn't actually do anything but sit next to him again.

"Shouldn't you be doing something," Xander asked after a while.

"Not everything happens all at once, young man," Belmovekk replied as he leaned back and enjoyed the sunshine, "I cannot just wave my magic wand and make it happen. It takes some time to set things up properly."

"And you call yourself a sorcerer," snorted Xander.

"I never said I was a good one," Belmovekk replied without looking up, "besides, some things really do take time to set up. Hey, since you are here you'll be the first to know, I have gotten me a place around here."

"So you've gotten yourself your own little spot of Sunnyhell," Xander said grinning. The Saiyan nodded in agreement.

"I figured I might as well get me a place to stay somewhere, why not here? This place stinks to the heavens with demonic chi but I will probably be here so often its now my home away from home."

"So where is your crib going to be, B-man?"

"It's over there," Belmovekk said and pointed into a general direction, "on 25th street. There is a warehouse there and its on top of it. Which is great if I have fly off somewhere. I also bought the warehouse by the way. I am thinking of transforming it into an indoor training facility. Beats having to clean out the park every time."

"Your own fortress of solitude," Xander grinned, "must have cost you a good cent then?"

"Not as much as you think," the Saiyan said, "from what I gather the demand for houses does not outstrip the supply in Sunnydale. I suspect that the housing merchants here have a very good idea about what goes on in this town and keep some properties of the market in order to keep up prices to at least some level or they be out of business."

"Ah, the joys of living in Sunnydale, B-man. Where getting a house and mortgage is easy but living long enough to pay it off isn't. I assume you used your pixiegold to pay for it?"

The look on the Saiyan's face was priceless.

"Hey, I happen to know my gold is 100 perfect., young man! Extremely pure. The goldsmiths always seem to be needing a toilet break whenever I visit them, they are that excited."

"If only they knew where it came from," Xander said.hardly able to contain his laughter that one of the greatest warriors in the universe could be so easily goaded. Bemovekk gave Xander a quick deathglare before continuing.

"Just because it does not come out of some mine or stream does not make it any less," he huffed, "besides, your government prints new paper money every day. An its not even backed up by real gold as it should be. It is just paper!"

"I'm getting economics lessons from an alien," said Xander as he got up, "I guess thats my cue to leave before the world comes to an end. It's been good talking to you, B-man. Rest assured, your secret is safe with me."

"Do not forget tonight, young man," the Saiyan said after him, "time to show me how well your training has been progressing in my absence. I only have a few days before I have to go again and probably much laziness and tardiness to sweat you guys out of."

"Oh goody I can hardly wait," Xander sighed.

* * *

"What'd you get," asked Buffy as she and Willow were browsing the costumes in Sunnydale's latest mercantile addition, Ethan's Costume Shop.

"A time-honored classic," Willow smiles weakly as she holds up a ghost costume to Buffy's horror.

"Okay, Will, can I give you a little friendly advice," Buffy asks shaking her head

"It's not spooky enough," Willow asks nervously.

"It's just... ," Buffy says, not knowing what to say, so she decides to be blunt, "you're never gonna get noticed if you keep hiding. You're missing the whole point of Halloween."

"Free candy...," Willow smiles weakly.

"It's come as you aren't night," Buffy says smiling, trying to put Willow at ease, "the perfect chance for a girl to get sexy and wild with no repercussions."

"Oh, I don't get wild," Willow objects vehemently, "wild on me equals spaz."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Buffy counters, "tou've got it in you."

Feeling cornered Willow looks around in panic and sees her other friend, Xander, and waves towards him.

"Hey, Xander!"

Xander waves back and comes up to them.

"What'd you get," Willow asks, hoping she has successfully diverted the previous subject.

Xander shows a toy machine gun he has taken from one of the racks.

"That's not a costume," snorts Buffy as she eyes the piece of plastic.

"I got fatigues from an Army surplus at home," Xander says as he puts the toy gun away, "call me the Two-Dollar Costume King, baby!"

A man comes up to them, clearly the shop owner.

"If you removed that from the plastic wrap it means you have to buy it, son," the owner says

"That's OK," says Xander, I was going to buy it anyway.

The shopkeeper takes a good look at Xander.

"Say, are you called Xander by the way," he asks curious.

Xander looks surprised, as do Willow and Buffy.

"Uh, yeah," Xander asks surprised, "something wrong?"

"Ah," said the shopkeeper as he starts grinning from ear to ear, "then your money is no good here."

"What do you mean," asked an even more surprised Xander.

"Come with me," the man says and goes back to the counter, "there was this gentleman who came in here earlier and ordered that I make this suit to measurement for a certain, Alexander Lavelle Harris, calling himself Xander. That under no way should I sell him anything else and that I should give you this letter."

The owner gives Xander a sealed letter and he opens it.

_Remember our little talk? I am going to do you a favor. I have ordered the shopkeeper to create you a special costume. It is that of a Saiyan Elite warrior. Scourge of the universe. May it serve you well during the coming night._

_The B-man!_

"He also requested that I give you a letter as well," said the shopkeeper to Buffy.

"He did," the blond slayer ask.

The shopkeeper just smiled and handed her another sealed letter.

"What does it say," asked Xander nervous as she reads it..

"That I should make you wear the costume, even if I have to kick your ass to hell and back."

Meanwhile the owner gives Xander a package that Xander opens to reveal a vlue and white costume. To the obvious amusement of Buffy and Willow Xander pulls it out and holds it in front of him.

"It has more spandex then an 80's music video marathon," Xander groans.

"I thought you liked spandex," Buffy smiles.

"On you, not on me," Xander sighs.

"To bad, Xander," Buffy grins evilly as she puts Xander on his back, "I have to do what he says, remember?"

"I so hate my life," muttered Xander as he puts the costume back in its packaging.

* * *

Later that evening.

"Showtime!"

* * *

"Ohmigod! I'm a real ghost!"

Willow looks at herself as her ghost clad body lies on some porch, while the very hot looking but also very deceased spirit Willow stands above it.

Suddenly she hears the sounds of explosions coming from down the street.

"Xander," she asks worried. Getting no answers she runs out into the street and sees somebody standing there dressed like Xander was.

"Xander," she asks again when she get's close.

As Xander spins around he points his right hand at her and charges an energy blast at her. Gone is the gentle Xander she has always known, his face all twisted in a snarl of pure rage.

"It's me, Willow!"

"I don't know any Willow," Xander the Saiyan snarls and fires his attack at her. It goes straight through her and explodes against a car behind her.

Willow is in utter shock. Xander tried to kill her. Her best friend since kindergarten. Granted, she was already dead, sortish, but still, her oldest friend tried to kill her.

"Did you just tried to kill me," Willow asks as she looks back and fro between Xander and the ruined car.

"What in the name of the seven hells is going on here," Xander the Saiyan yells!

"You don't know me," Willow asks still in shock.

Xander makes a sudden move and tries to punch her. The force of the punch is so strong it causes the burning wreck behind them to move. Yet it has no effect on Willow as it moves right through her.

"Oh," says Willow, then looks at her dead body lying on some porch. Xander the Saiyan starts looking at her suspiciously, then puts his arms through her again. Only then does Willow realize what has happened. The costumes, they became their costumes. She became a ghost and Xander, ohmigod, a bloodthirsty Saiyan!

"What are you," Xander asks suspicious.

What does she say? From what she knows of Saiyans they are incredibly powerful. Right now Xander has no equal in this town and could easily level it. She needs to be quick and choose her words carefully.

"What do you remember," Willow asks.

Xander the Saiyan looks aside and raises an eyebrow as he tries to remember.

"Last thing I remember me and my team where on Themicron 4," he finally says, "we were cleansing that world for sterilization. Then I suddenly find myself on this godforsaken shithole."

Cleansing that world? Oh my god, they were murdering a whole planet!

Xander the Saiyan pokes through her some more.

"Are you a hologram," he asks, "you look almost real."

"Yes, I am a hologram," Willow says, her mind kicking into overdrive trying to remember every Saiyan detail Belmovekk ever mentioned, "I have new orders for you from, um, regimental command."

Xander the Saiyan snorts disgusted.

"Regimental? What does that swine of a Pollack have to say?"

Willow doesn't know any Pollack but he's probably the guy in charge.

"The mission has been, um, changed. You are to, um, protect that woman," Willow says and points across the street where she sees Buffy lying fainted on the ground. The shock of it all probably having been to much for her.

"Regiment has got to be kidding," Xander the Saiyan says shaking his head in disgust, "I will kick Pollack's ass from her to the moons of Nibbia for this."

Disgusted he walks across the street to pick Buffy up.

"She couldn't've dressed up like Xena," sighs Willow as she follows him.

"What's so special about this woman," asks Xander the Saiyan after throwing lady Buffy over his shoulder, "even without a scouter I can see she's pathetic. And why am I even here in this place?"

"Um, her father pays, um, Frieza a lot of money to protect her," Willow says quickly, "yes, so they sent you. There was an, um, accident. And your ship was, um, damaged and you lost your, um, memories of the crash. They tried to communicate but there was no response. So they send me. I'm an, um, artificial intelligence."

"I didn't know they came like this," Xander the Saiyan as he checks out Willow, "you look kinda hot like that."

"Oh, me neither,' says Willow, "but I'm the latest in all things artificial."

Xander the Saiyan checks her out some more.

"You're a bit skinny though, but I hope they've modeled you on somebody real. So what would you have me do with this piece of meat?"

Willow looked around as in looking for a solution.

"Take her there," she says and points at Buffy's house, 'the retrieval boat will land there."

Then a monster appears, growling across the street. Xander the Saiyan immediately lifts up his free hand to charge an energy attack.

"No you can't " says Willow and jumps in front of him.

"Why shouldn't I," Xander the Saiyan asks indignified, "I see, I kill!"

"Because, um, because...you must maintain a low profile," Willow says, "they mustn't know we are here!"

"Look, AI, whatever your name is," Xander the Saiyan says coolly, "I'm not some skulking Infiltrator. I'm an Elite. We don't care about maintaining low profiles. We advertise our whereabouts by blowing up our enemies!"

Oh shit., Willow thinks in despair. Why did her best friends have to dress up like an useless noblewoman and Attila the Saiyan? Quick, what could she think of.

"Frieza doesn't want them harmed. " she said triumphantly, "otherwise he will be very angry! Just keep the girl safe."

"Alright, alright," Xander the Saiyan mutters as he reabsorbs his energy attack, then lifts of as he flies to Buffy's house, "one of these days we should do something about that horned freak!".

"He can do that now," says Willow surprised as she runs after him.

* * *

Well! This is just... neat," grins a pleasantly surprised Spike as he walks the Sunnydale streets and takes out a cell phone, "oh boys, you'll never going to believe this..."

* * *

BLAM!

Xander the Saiyan kicks open the door of the Summers residence ruining the lock, then casually drops Buffy the noblewoman on the couch in the living room.

"Couldn't you have just opened this door," Willow says as she follows a few seconds later.

"It's not my fault that everything on this world is not build for Saiyans," snorts Xander, "I'm going to look for something to eat."

Willow examines the door. The lock is busted but it can still be closed. If only Xander could barricade it then they would be alright. As she looks out more monsters start running through the streets.

"Somebody help me," screams a familiar voice across the street.

"Cordelia," says Willow and steps outside. A huge Sasquatch chases Cordelia down the street and she's running for all she's worth. Then she sees Willow and starts legging it for 1630 Revello Drive. Before Willow can say anything Cordelia runs inside and closes the door behind her, leaving Willow outside.

"You can't just ..." Willow calls after her. Without thinking she walks after Cordelia through the door and Cordelia hanging on for all her life against the door from the inside.

Inside Buffy the noblewoman has just come around and started to look around to see where she is. Being from the 18th century she has no clue whatsoever as to what is going on. She does see somebody dressed as a cat leaning against the door, followed by a ghost coming through the door and the cat person.

"..leave me outside," Willow yells angrily at Cordelia.

"Sorry, I was so scared... wait a second, Willow did you just walk right through the door?"

"We have no time for that," Willow says, "something has happened and every..."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Buffy the noblewoman has started to seriously freak out.

"Oh no, Buff," sighs Willow and goes to the freaking girl, "it's OK, everything is alright, you're safe now. Home."

"This is not my home," Buffy says looking freaked, "and who are you, you walk right through a door! Am I in some haunted mansion?"

"What's wrong with her," asks Cordelia from the front door, "she's Buffy, she kicks these things ass. Why is she freaking out."

"She doesn't remember," says Willow to Cordelia, "they've all lost their memory and become their costumes. Hey, how come you remember, shouldn't you be like a cat or something?"

"That's nice, Willow," Cordelia replies looking at Willow as if she's stupid, "and you went mental when?"

"A lot's going on," Willow says defensively.

"No kidding," huffs Cordelia, "I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think that Partytown's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."

BAM!

The door gets thrown open violently, throwing Cordelia to the floor as the Sasquatch enters the house.

"Grrooarrrwlll," it growls.

"No," whimpers Cordelia.

"Huh," says Buffy the noblewoman as she faints again.

"Uh, we could use some help here," yells Willow to Xander the Saiyan.

"What in the name of the seven Hells is going on here," yells Xander the Saiyan carrying a piece of meat and a bottle of ketchup. As he sees the Sasquatch standing over Cordelia he storms towards him and gives it a head butt. The Sasquatch falls back stone cold in the door opening. Xander kicks it out of the door sending the Sasquatch crashing into a house across the road.

"Good riddance to thrash," smirks Xander and starts eating the raw meat. It's gone in no time, then he takes the ketchup bottle and starts drinking.

"Shouldn't you put that on the meat," says a very surprised Cordelia as she tries to get up.

"Who are you," Xander the Saiyan replies suspicious.

"Who am I," huffs Cordelia indignified, "who are you, dweeb boy."

"Not now, Cordelia," Willow says in despair and turns to Xander, "she's a friend."

"A friend," Xander the Saiyan snorts, "dressed like that? She looks like a 5 credit cheap whore from the brothels of Altair 7!"

"Now look here...," says Cordelia, only to be waved off by Willow. Xander the Saiyan however has already lost interest and returns to the kitchen.

"OK," says Cordelia, "I demand an explanation. What is going on here and especially with spandex boy there."

"Sshht," replies Willow, looking over her shoulder to see if Xander can hear them. The Saiyan however is already engrossed by the various condiments in Buffy's mother's kitchen.

"Look, it's like this," Willow says, "everybody who dressed up suddenly became their costumes. All the kids turned into monsters, Buffy, well, she's now a totally useless noblewoman from the 18th century. As for Xander, he thinks, no, he IS some brutal, um, space alien from some Japanese cartoon show."

"So on the downside we lose one insanely strong Buffy but at the upside we get an insanely strong Xander in return?"

"Actually, Buffy is nothing compared to what he is now," says Willow, and sticks her head through the wall to check on Xander.

"He mustn't know that he's not real," continued Willow after seeing that Xander the Saiyan has now discovered the joy that is ice cream, "you don't know these Saiyans. They are like Darth Vader and Superman all rolled into one very deadly package."

"How very efficient, says Cordelia, "and what if he finds out?"

"You and Buffy will probably die," Willow reolies with a weak smile.

"And why won't you?"

"I'm already dead," sighs Willow, "I went dressed as a ghost."

"What, Slutty the Ghost?"

* * *

In the kitchen Xander the Saiyan had just finished off the supply of ice cream. It had been quite tasty, even though his stomach does now feel like a glacier. Time to find something more warm while he drank something called Worcestershire sauce. By now he had exhausted the refrigerator and moved on to look in the other cabinets. He didn't bother to check out the freezer. The ice cream had been nice, but these things called frozen pizza's where nowhere near as good looking as the box suggested.

It was in another cabinet that he struck gold.

"Ha ha, finally, pay dirt," he said and grabbed various bags of chips, cookies and tinned foods. He had his hands full when Angel suddenly entered through the backdoor. As he sees Xander he visibly relaxes as if a weight is being lifted.

"Oh, good," Angel says, "you guys are alright. It's total chaos out..."

Before he could finish his sentence Xander drops his booty and before it falls to the ground the youth has thrown himself upon Angel and pins him against the wall."

"You feel all...wrong," Xander the Saiyan hisses into Angel's face.

"Xander, what the hell is..."

"I don't know any Xander," Xander replies and starts sniffing Angel, "by the seven Hells, you really do feel wrong. I wonder if the AI will let me kill you."

"AI," Angel asks surprised, although he does recognize the look of pure homicide in Xander's face, "what are you talking about, Xander?"

Hearing the commotion Willow comes running into the kitchen only to find Xander holding Angel with murder in his eyes.

"No," she says vehemently, "don't kill him! He's, uh, he's, um, he's our contact. He's here to help!"

Xander looks over his shoulder at Willow.

"Can't I kill him, AI? He makes me feel sick just looking at him."

"No, you can't," Willow says while violently shaking her hands.

"This mission sucks, AI. I don't get to kill anything," Xander mutters annoyed and lets go of Angel and starts to pick up the various chips, nachos, cookies and tins of food he'd let fall.

"Is Buffy alright," asked Angel as he massages his neck.

"She's lies feinted on the couch.," said Willow and went back to the living room

through the wall.

"Did you just..." said Angel as he followed her through the doors like normal people.

"Long story," says Willow looking back, "In short, basically everybody became their costume."

"Except for me," said Cordelia, busily re-arranging furniture to barricade the front door.

"And I wonder why," remarks Willow.

Angel meanwhile kneels beside Buffy and examines her.

"And what on earth did she become," he asks.

"Some 18th century noblewoman," replies Willow," she's next to useless, she feints at the first sign of anything."

"Well, no wonder," says Angel and knocks on Buffy's waist, making a dull knocking sound, "she's corseted in so tight it's a wonder she can breath at all."

"But the dress didn't come with a corset," Willow says surprised, the latest one in a long list this evening.

"It does now," Angel says knocking again.

Xander the Saiyan enters the living room carrying his loot and started to kick aside the various things Cordelia had just managed to pile in front of the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," asks Cordelia angry.

"I'm going out," says Xander without giving Cordelia a moments notice as he opens the door, "if I don't get to kill him I'm not staying here. I need some fresh air."

"But you can't leave," says Willow, 'you have to protect her."

"I'm not going far, AI," Xander says and nods towards Angel, "I just refuse to stay in a house with something like him."

Xander the Saiyan went outside and sat on the porch, opening a bag of chips. One of the little monsters/kids came up to him sniffing.

"Fuck off," Xander yells and uses his tail to whip the little monster/kid unconscious across the road.

"What the..." says Cordelia as she saw the scene through the open door..

"Whats up with him," asks Angel.

"He thinks he's a Saiyan," replies Willow.

Having been thought by Buffy and met Belmovekk once Angel can make a mental picture of that.

"Then why don't you help him out of that dream," he asks.

"Because for now he IS a Saiyan, Angel," Willow says feeling suddenly very tired, "and not in the nice I'll help you kind like Belmovekk, we're talking Attila the Saiyan here. He scares me more then Spike and the Master combined."

"We must do something," said Cordelia.

"Why didn't you change," Angel asks.

"How should I know, my good looks maybe?"

"You said you got your costume at Partytown," says Willow like in a revelation, "we got ours at Ethan's."

"Ethan's, that's that new place," says Cordelia, "it's full of cheap rubbish. Come on, how good can a costume be if it costs less then a happy meal. He was practically giving them away. At least at Partytown..."

"It sounds like Ethan's is the key," says Angel, "I'll go and check it out."

"No, you stay here and guard the house and Buffy," says Willow.

"And me," says Cordelia.

"I'll go," says Willow, "who can harm me? I'm a ghost now."

"And a nicely shaped one as well," grins Angel, "go then, my fellow undead."

"Oh guys," says Cordelia sounding very alarmed.

"What's wrong, Cordelia," asks Willow.

"Look," Cordelia replies and points across the street.

* * *

Xander the Saiyan had just finished the last packet of cookies. The chips and nachos were finished long ago. Now he was onto tinned foods and he tore open a can of hotdogs which he started to gulp down raw.

"You do know you are not supposed to eat them like that," a voice said.

His mouth still full Xander the Saiyan opens an eye and examines the bleached haired stranger who stands before him on the driveway, his face looking very demonic, as do five similarly faced men that are with him.

"Fuck off," Xander says with his mouth full.

"Or you are going to do what," Spike snorts. While the Slayer was a particularly troublesome adversary, that boy that always hung around her like a lovesick puppy usually wasn't.

Xander the Saiyan gulps down the remainder of his hotdogs in one gulp and stands up.

"By the seven Hells of Jeherheroth, you lot feel just as bad as that freak inside," Xander says, then turns around his head and yells, "hey AI, I suppose I can't kill these ones also?"

Willow pops up through the wall.

"Well, him you can kill," she says, "but only him and others who feel like him. And except of course Angel here inside.

"My pleasure," grins Xander the Saiyan from ear to ear, "finally some murder, death, kill."

"Oh, yeah, you and whose army, spandex man," grins Spike.

"Let me do it," one of Spike's minions yells, "I've been dying to kill him ever since that shit hooked up with the Slayer."

"Be my guest," Spike says and steps back to allow his minion to kill Xander.

"One Xanderstew coming right up," the minion grins as he advances.

Xander the Saiyan just stands his ground and smirks.

"I'll wipe that stupid grin right of your face," the minion says.

"I don't think so," smirks Xander who grabs the vampire faster then they ever thought anything was possible and starts ripping him apart. Literally ripping the vamp apart. Body parts flying everywhere everywhere. Finally Xander rips of the head and what remains of the vampire turns to dust.

"What is this," mutters Spike and starts slowly walking backwards.

Xander the Saiyan meanwhile is coughing up vampire dust.

"Dusty bastards," he coughs, "and not so well in the aftertaste. I guess I'll have to settle for blowing you apart from a distance. He holds his arms up as if crucified and then in each hand an energy sphere appears.

While Spike at least had the smarts to start backing out slowly, his remaining four minions lack his better sense of judgment.

"Just look at the birdies," smirks Xander. The first attack however doesn't come from the attacks Xander was charging from his hands. From his mouth he spits a fireball that incinerates minion number 2. While the others look perplexed Xander fires off the other two attacks and destroys two more.

"Don't just stand there, fool," yells Spike and pushes his remaining minion towards Xander.

"Bugger this," he says and makes for the nearest manhole cover while Xander rips minion number 5 to shreds.

When number 5 finally snuffs it Xander runs after Spike who has already dropped inside the manhole.

"I'm coming to get you, sucker," he yells after the vampire and throws down an energy ball. It's not a particular strong attack but its loud enough to ruin anyone's hearing and very, very bright. Enough to function as a SWAT style flashbang grenade. Xander immediately jumps in after the bang.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

* * *

As Angel watches over Buffy and struggles to release her from her corset, Willow makes best speed for Giles, Xander tries to play tag with Spike underground and a certain Ethan Rayne is enjoying himself immensely, another POV exists. A few hundred meters over Sunnydale Belmovekk holds station, looking very intently at the proceedings going on down below. His scouter keeps track of the various things he wants to keep track off.

So far this evening has turned out wilder then he'd ever thought possible. The wild chaos magic has him seriously impressed. And from time to time he had to intervene to keep people from getting hurt. Luckily the small child/demons are to small to really harm most people but to be sure he has managed to stun most of them and put them in front of Sunnydale High.

Xander's disappearance below ground does concern him though. His tracking abilities below ground are limited thanks to that accursed Hellmouth.

Then his scouter goes off. A large power is approaching. A very large power. Belmovekk turns towards the north. Soon a white flash comes into view that becomes Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans. And he doesn't look not happy.

"Movekk," he yells, "what in the seven Hells is going on here! I sensed another Saiyan here. Where is he!"

"There is no other Saiyan," Belmovekk replies as Vegeta looks around, trying to sense the other Saiyan, "but there is magic here, my prince. Pure wild chaos magic. A chaos mage has unleashed more power then he thought was possible. So, for tonight only, a Saiyan Elite walks this earth. Even though he is technically human."

"A Saiyan Elite," Vegeta says as he looks up, "what are you talking about? How is this possible, Movekk!"

The Saiyan sorcerer gave a quick outlay on how he has hijacked the prank of a chaos mage into something more constructive for the long term.

"You are mad, Movekk," Vegeta says afterwards, "how can you do such a thing! Why would you even do such a thing for a puny human?"

Belmovekk makes a silent snort and point around him.

"Have you ever payed attention to this place, my prince?"

Vegeta looks down briefly. He hasn't really. He knew it was out here though. Unlike Kakarot who really is an ignorant fool about his own world Vegeta quickly learned the seadier underside of this world. Not that he really cared. Surpassing Kakarot was all that mattered to him.

"Of course I have, Movekk," Vegeta huffs, "it absolutely reeks of foulness. It just makes me sick to go there. It's also absolutely full of those, things."

"Then why didn't you do anything about it, my prince," Belmovekk asks, folding his arms across his chest.

"I keep my own neighborhood clean, Movekk," Vegeta retorts, "its not my problem these Earthers can't keep their own house in order."

"These things are not supposed to be here, my prince," Belmovekk says, "this thing and these things are not supposed to be here. These people that I am trying to help need my help desperately."

"By turning them into their costumes? That is twisted, Movekk!"

"I know," Belmovekk replies and looks down again as his scouter catches a quick glimpse of Xander, "we all have to do things we do not like. We do what must be done to complete the mission, it is the Saiyan way."

Vegeta also folds his arms across his chest.

"And if it helps these shrimps so much," he asks, "why just the boy, why not that girl?"

"I don't know," Belmovekk says, "the boy is somehow special. For some strange reason only he will retain anything useful from it. The rest will just forget, but not him."

"Then for his sake I hope he hurries up," says Vegeta smirking, "cause Kakarot and his gang are coming up fast."

Belmovekk expanded his scouter to wide scan and looks to the west. Vegeta was right. Several blips were approaching fast across the western ocean.

"It matters not," Belmovekk says as he resets his scouter back to narrow scan, "It will be over soon. The Watcher has been alerted and soon it will be over. He is already speeding towards the shop. In a few minutes it will be over."

From the other side of town a large explosion came as an old warehouse blew apart.

"Is that the boy," asked Vegeta.

"Yes, my prince," Belmovekk says with just a hint of pride, "he is hunting a particularly troublesome vampire."

"Disgusting creatures," Vegeta snorts, "San Francisco used to be full of them. One had even the gall to come to the Capsule Corp grounds."

"This is the only world that I know off that has them," remarks Belmovekk causing Vegeta to frown.

"I thought you wrestled demons on that world of yours?"

"Demons which I have to summon, my prince. They don't exist naturally there," Belmovekk says and points to his tattoos, "I didn't get these for fun."

"Is that the boy," says Vegeta and points as he sees Xander running across a street then diving into another manhole.

"Yes," says Belmovekk, "I think we should give him a little aid. If the Watcher breaks the spell he could find himself in trouble all alone."

"Speak for yourself," snorts Vegeta, "I'm going back, I have training to do. Your mess, you clean it up. This vile place makes me ill anyway. If you wish to help these people just blow it up. At least then you can start doing some really constructive. Like training for those androids."

"I will be there, my prince, and now if you excuse me," Belmovekk retorts, then drops down to Xander's last location. He lands alongside the open manhole and jumps inside. The scouter goes haywire underground thanks to he Hellmouth's interference but Xander the Saiyan has a power that runs in the thousands. He can still be tracked if nearby. So Belmovekk wastes no more time and runs after Xander.

* * *

By now he must have killed dozens of these creatures, mostly underground. He knows there are many, many more. He lost the AI long ago, he no longer cares about her, nor the mission. Ever since he hit the sewers all that matters was the thrill of the hunt. That annoying Bleached One still eludes him, but he's hot on his trail. For some reason, even without a scouter he can sense where that one is.

He crosses another underground corner, these sewers appear to be endless, and catches a glimpse of the Bleached One. To bad he has to make it past a group of other demons, huge horned beasts, apparently a family. They didn't take kindly to the passage of the Bleached One and when they see him running after it they all turn their anger on him. Not that they would pose much problems, it's just that it will means another delay in getting the Bleached One.

With these demons he prefers energy attacks. They become way to messy if you kill them by hand. He quickly charges some energy attacks and blasts the two smallest demons to pieces. The remaining three charge but he easily evades them. They're big but they are nothing to him. A mouth blast takes care of number three, that leaves only four and five. A kick sends number four to the furthest reaches of this cavern. He pummels number five against the wall with a swift series of punches that has it gasping for breath. Enough time to charge an attack that vaporizes it almost pointblank range. Now number four has gotten up again and roars defiantly.

"Time to die, bitch," he grins evilly and points his hand to charge his biggest attack yet, "DIE!"

* * *

In a certain costume shop Giles grabs an idol of Janus and smashes it hard against the floor, shattering into many pieces.

* * *

At 1630 Revello Drive Buffy opens her eyes into Angel's concerned face.

"Uh, Angel," she asks curious, "why are you messing with my costume, and why is Cordelia watching?

* * *

At the front porch of the house where Willow's body lies it now starts moving again. She yanks of the ghost sheet as she feels herself quite out of breath. When she was still a ghost she could run around town like some Olympic marathon runner, as she didn't need to breath. Now it feels like it she did run a marathon. As she gets up she notices how she's dressed and for a moment she desperately wants to cover it up again. Then she thinks better of it and throws the ghost sheet away.

* * *

"DIE!"

Xander the Saiyan's attack hits demon number four. The beast roars in pain, but does not die. In an instant the attack went from strong enough to level a city block to just strong enough to piss of a very big and very strong demon.

"Oh shit, mutters Xander as he starts looking for the exit in panic. He sees that the way he came is still open and starts legging it.

"Holy lady of blasted acceleration don't fail me now," he mutters

The beast roars angrily. That manthing just killed its mate and family and then hurt it. Filled with homicidal rage all it now wants to do is rip its head off as it begins to pursue Xander screaming bloody murder.

As Xander runs through the sewer he can hear the demon closing.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! She's probably female as well!"

Xander runs past an underground crossing with another very dark sewer.. Three seconds later his pursuing demon comes by. A hand comes from the other sewer and grabs the demon and yanks it into the other sewer. A few muffled noises come, then a bone crunching noise, followed by the sound of ripping flesh.

* * *

The first thing the Scoobies did after the spell had broken up and the children they were supposed to supervise had been returned home was to gather at the library. Xander had been the first there to arrive, although the right word to use was the first to flee there, straight from the sewers. Willow arrived second, followed by Giles. Buffy arrived last with Angel, having dressed into something more like her, instead of the 18th century torture device.

Giles then proceeded to explain exactly what had happened with Ethan's spell.

"So that's how it happened," said Giles, only then to notice Xander's somewhat torn spandex and plastic armor costume, covered in dirt.

"If I may ask, Xander, what were you supposed to be?"

"You don't want to know," the young man said, pacing furiously, occasionally looking outside the window..

"Xander was dressed as a Saiyan warrior," said Willow as she let herself fall into a chair, still exhausted, "he nearly killed Spike."

"Yet he did manage to kill the contents of my mom's entire fridge and everything edible in the house," said Buffy, "enough food to last us a week. There's nothing left but a few frozen pizza's. How on earth did you manage to eat it all, Xan? Especially the raw meat?"

"I don't feel so good," replies Xander and clutches his stomach as well.

"You nearly tore of my head," said Angel, "you said I felt wrong."

"Well, you did feel all wrong. D.B," Xander replies as his stomach is really starting to act up.

"What on earth possessed you to dress as a Saiyan," asked Giles.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea, right," Xander says as points at Giles, "I planned to go as a soldier! It was Belmovekk and Buffy who made me do it!"

"I didn't tell you do dress as a Saiyan," said Buffy as the eyes of the whole room turn to her, "I just told you to do what Belmo wanted you to do."

"Which just happened to be having to dress me as a Saiyan," Xander says, then he looks at Giles, "do you have anything for stomach pain?"

"In my desk, second drawer," Giles says.

"Thanks," Xander says and races into Giles' office.

"But was it so bad," Giles asks after Xander, "for some strange reason nobody seems to get hurt."

"I nearly got killed and I tried to kill my friends," said Xander vehemently from Giles' office, "I tried to kill Will, my best friend! If she hadn't been a ghost she'd be dead. Granted, technically she already was dead. If she hadn't tricked me into thinking she was some Saiyan hologram and that my mission was to protect Buffy a whole lot of people would have been dead."

"But without you being all Saiyan Spike would have come and killed Buffy," countered Willow.

Xander re-emerges from Giles' office carrying some peptobismol triumphantly.

"Spike could have done nothing, Will, he has no invitation to enter Buffy's home, remember," he says as he swallows some.

"Maybe not," says Angel, "but we did find several jerrycans of gasoline outside. If he had set fire to the house we would not have been able to hold out without Buffy."

"Who was all useless 18th century noblewoman and feinted, remember," added Willow.

"Hey, you try wearing a real 18th century dress, that corset nearly cut me in half," counters Buffy, as she touches her sides, "my waist still hurts. And before anyone asks, no, the costume didn't come with a corset!"

"You killed five vampires, Xan," says Willow, "it was awesome. You even spit fire at one of them. To bad Spike got away."

"If only I got him," sighs Xander, "then at least it would have been worth it. I went underground looking for Spike. I must have killed dozens of vamps and demons before my luck ran out. I was fighting these big demons, huge guys, yellow fur, big horns."

"Sounds like Mylar demons," says Giles, "very strong, even a Slayer would think twice of taking one on. Relatively harmless unless attacked though."

"I took on five, G-man," Xander says, stealing a quick look out of the window, "I had already killed four and was about to kill the last one when, poof, suddenly Saiyan me was gone and old me was back. I came this close to dying. Bastard chased me throughout half the sewers."

"Well, um, that would have been me," said Giles apolegetic, "if I had known of your predicament I would have waited smashing the Janus idol."

"It's OK, G-man," Xander replies as he falls down in the chair next to Willow, "story of my life. I will probably have a sad ending as well, but hey, at least there will be symmetry."

"I will not that happen," says Buffy and hugs Xander.

"Nor will I," says Willow and hugs the both of them.

"Ah, group hug," smiles Xander.

"I must say, I'm um, flummoxed as to why Belmovekk wanted you to wear a Saiyan warrior's costume," says Giles, "that would imply that he knew what was going to happen."

"Speak of the devil," says Angel and nods to the library door, "look who walks in?"

It's Belmovekk wearing his scouter and carrying a large shopping bag.

"What have you done," yells Xander as he breaks the group hug and storms up the Saiyan, "you nearly got me killed?"

Belmovekk looks Xander straight in the eye and snorts.

"You? A Saiyan Elite? I do not think so young man. For one night, besides me, you were the biggest and baddest to stalk the Hellmouth."

"I'm not even talking about that," Xander yells, "I'm talking about what happened afterwards!"

"Oh, you mean this," the Saiyan says and rummages inside his shopping bag, only to take out a large yellow furred and horned demon head, yellow blood still dripping from the neck. Casually he puts the head on the table.

"T-t-that's a Mylar demon's head," says Giles shaken, "on my table.".

"Uh, gross," says Willow as the head lies to close to comfort..

"I'll take your gross and raise it with yuck," says Buffy.

"See! You were never in any real danger," says Belmovekk.

Xander just eyes the head up close.

"Are you sure you got the right one? It doesn't look as big as I remember."

While Belmovekk explains to Xander what fear and adrenaline do to perception under duress Giles recovers from the shock of seeing a demon's head dumped on his table.

"I-i-if you knew this was going to happen you s-should have told us," says Giles accusingly at the Saiyan.

"It would have been the right thing to do, master Giles," agreed Belmovekk, "but it would have been a waste of a perfectly good opportunity."

"An opportunity of what? Mess with Xander and dump heads on my table?"

The Saiyan shakes his head

"To radically increase the good Xander here."

Five pairs of eyes look surprised at Belmovekk.

"What do you mean by that," asks Giles, "when the spell went down everything returned back to normal."

"Well, uh, not exactly," coughs Xander. All his friends start looking at him funny.

"Well, I, uh, sort of, remember stuff," the young man finishes

"Like what," says Belmovekk in a strange, almost hungry way. Like he knows the answer.

"I, uh, remember everything that guy was," Xander says hesitantly, "what he had done, the people he had killed. It's not very pretty."

"Does anyone else remember anything from their possession," asks Giles.

"Don't look at me," says Willow, "I was just a ghost version of me. Buffy here got the whole 18th century noblewoman treatment."

"Well, I remember some stuff," Buffy says as the eyes of the romm fall on her again, "mostly French words. But it's fading fast. I can't remember what her name was or what she was like."

"Oh, I definitely remember," says Xander, "and to much stuff I'd wish I would never have to remember."

"Saiyan Elites were the most gifted, but also the most brutal in battle," says Belmovekk, "naturally they were heavily involved in many cleansing operations. And enjoyed it."

"Cleansing sounds so much more nicer then genocide," snorts Xander.

"Call it genocide then," the Saiyan shruggs, "it was what my people used to do. I can not wave a magic wand and change history. I wish I could. It would help me sleep better. But you do not have to feel ashamed, young man. It was not you who did any of it."

"That was a terrible thing to do, Belmo," says Buffy, "to give him those memories. And for what?"

"We'll see," the Saiyan says and suddenly attacks Xander. Before anyone else can react Xander blocks the punch. The Saiyan follows up with a lightning fast kick that also gets blocked.

"Holy shit," says Xander, he himself even more surprised then the others.

"It looks like you retained more then just a few bad memories," says Belmovekk, then he continues the attack. Kicks and punches get traded with so much force that things start fly around from the amount of chi that gets thrown around.

"Enough," yells Giles, "not in my bloody library you won't!"

"Oh, you've definitely retained more then you thought, young man," says Belmovekk as he steps back, "I think your strength must have quadrupled. Also your technique has improved. Give me an energy attack!"

"No! Not in my library," yells Giles again, but to late. Xander points his right hand at Belmovekk and effortlessly shoots an energy beam at the Saiyan who shrugs of the beam without effort. Luckily for Giles the beam isn't strong enough to cause an explosion.

"Even I can't do that yet," complains Buffy.

"And can you fly," Belmovekk asks.

Xander looks at his feet and starts to concentrate. It's not easy but he knows how it works now. Sweat starts to appear on his forehead, then lift off follows as he manages to push enough of his chi downwards to lift of from the ground by a few inches. Then a big smile appears on his face. Belmovekk nods approvingly. It's still crude, but Xander has got the basics down.

"Good, very good, young man. If we work on increasing your power we will have you flying in no time."

"And me," whimpers Buffy, "when do I get to fly?"

Belmovekk gives her a smile.

"You have to learn to walk before you can run, young lady. I'm sorry. It will take some more time for you."

"It's not fair," Buffy mutters as Angel gently squeezes her shoulders, "why didn't you tell us about the spell? I could have worn something better then that noble woman's costume. Are there no Saiyan warrior women?"

"There were," Belmovekk replies as he looks lost in thought, "many Saiyan women fought in our wars. The 7th regiment had more then 30 women if I remember correctly. But unfortunately it doesn't work like that, young lady. You would have forgotten everything eventually. For some strange reason Xander is unique. I do not know why but I intend to find out."

"I shudder to think what, um, having two wild Saiyans would have done to Sunnydale," says Giles who is polishing his glasses like a madman, "no matter the benefits, the usage of chaos magic is highly irresponsible. Not something to be trifled with. We should have been warned so we could have stopped it in time from happening. At the very least you should have given us a warning to prepare. And how on earth did you even know what was going to happen in the first place."

"Simple," the Saiyan replied, "one of the Necessities told me what was going to happen. It was the Dark one, it seems to have an even greater sense of quirky humor then his Light counterpart. In fact the only reason why I was told anything was to help Xander. Remember our conversation the other day, young man? We had eavesdroppers. They seem to like you.

As to why I did not tell you guys, firstly having advanced knowledge runs the risk of changing everything when you know things will work out fine. Secondly, the Necessity forbade me too. So I took advantage of a golden opportunity. Now Xander can fight alongside you more equally. Is that not better in the long run?"

"But you had no right to do that," says Buffy shaking her head.

"Why not, young lady," Belmovekk asks somewhat surprised.

"Because I'm the Slayer," Buffy says, "it is my task!"

"Says who, young lady," snorts Belmovekk as he folds his arms across his chest, "a bunch of long gone dead guys? Fuck them! You may have been chosen to fight, but he chose it. He has every right to fight for what he considers is right. And who says it should only be you? The way I see it you need all the help you can get. You need more Xanders, not less."

Nobody has ever talked to her like that who wasn't an enemy and Belmovekk's words hit her like a brick. Also hearing the formal Saiyan, who never swore, not even when she had been screwing up her exercises or done her best to drive him up the walls.

"No, it can't be," she says shocked, "I'm..."

"He's right, Buff," interjects Xander, "what he did, it's a good thing."

Buffy can't believe her ears as she looks in the face of her best male friend.

"No Xan," she says, "at what price? Those terrible memories? We should ask Giles to find a way to undo what has been done."

"No," Xander says vehemently as he shakes his head, "I absolutely forbid this. There will be no undoing. When I first learned of your secret and after they killed Jesse I swore an oath to be with you fighting Them until the end, Buff. I will die fighting besides you or we will go down fighting together. I can live with that or you being the strongest. I even like that in a woman, but I will not let you shut me out when I have every right to fight Them. I will not become the guy whose job it is to only bring twinkies."

"But Xand," Buffy pleads, "you deserve a shot at a normal life."

Wrong answer as Xander changes face from seriously pleading to highly infuriated.

"You dream happy dreams of being that LA cheerleader again, Buff," he snorts, "just because that is your particular fantasy doesn't make it mine. You wanna know what a normal life for Xan the Man means?

Hey dad, I'm home!

Shut up you no good piece of shit! (burps)

OK, I'll go to my room. (tries sneaking to his room)

Why did you have to turn into such a no good loser, Alexander? All you ever do is costing me good money and hang out with your no good friends.

Don't insult my friends, dad!

Bam! (Xander pretends to fall over as if punched in the gut)

You're such a disappointing waste of breath. Now fuck off! Yo, bitch, bring me another beer!

That is a normal life for me, Buff. Although these days I just pretend to get hurt. Is that what you want for me?"

"No, but..."

It was Angel of all who came to Xander's defence.

"Let it go, Buffy," he says.

"But..."

"Let it go," Angel says as he puts his hand on her shoulder to turn her around, "Xander has made his choice freely. That is more then they gave you. Respect that decision. The freedom to make such a decision is what you fight for in the first place."

"Alright," she said defeated.

Even though part of him hated it that it was Angel of all people that talked some sense into Buffy, the vampire did grew considerably in Xander's esteem.

"I really don't understand you people," says Belmovekk, "I can understand that you did not like me keeping you in the dark but if a golden opportunity lands in your lap, how can you not use it?"

"Because there are all sorts of other issues at hand," says Giles, feeling more and more worked up, "we have to consider the greater balance of things."

"What greater balance," Belmovekk asks flabbergasted.

"The balance between good and evil," Giles says as he gestures around him, "if either good or evil gets the upper hand things will get serious out of hand."

The Saiyan's mouth falls open as if not knowing what to say. Then he gathers himself.

"Says who? No offense, master Giles, but you guys are fighting a losing war. By the Gods, demons inhabit this world and you act as if this is natural! Where I am from the Gods themselves intervene if any demon enters our realm unfettered. I do not know of any other world in the universe where demons live as if they own the place."

"That is because demons used to roam..."

"Yeah, the earth is older the we think speech," the Saiyan says in disgust, "but guess what, master Giles, so am I. See this tattoos? That's worth 3700 years experience of summoning demons and studying demon magic. I may not be the best sorcerer but I know my demons. And I know they are most definitely NOT from this dimension."

"Still, it's highly irresponsible..."

Giles gets cut of by Belmovekk as he holds up his hand.

"You mistake me for some some frail human, master Giles, because I try to be polite. But I am still Saiyan. I was not born Belmovekk, sorcerer extraordinaire, I was born Movekk, son of Rabar of the house Rabar on planet Vegeta. I will use whatever weapon, whatever means, whatever strategy and whatever tactic I have to win. I would rather have sleepless nights over what I did then over what I failed to do."

"So the end justify the means," says Giles, not likeing what he hears.

"In a fight for survival? Damn straight it would. In the end there can be only one! You talk about fighting a war between good and evil but at the same time you do not seem to be wanting to win it either. You are not fighting a war, we Saiyans know everything about war. You are just trying preserving the status quo. And a very bad one to boot. Fuck balance! My idea of war does not involve sending endless successions of teenage girls to fight alone in the dark against things that have no business being here. I plan to win a war and either send these things packing to whatever sorry dimension they came from or eradicate them down to the last one!"

"I so dig that mission statement," says Xander.

"Xander, not now," says Giles annoyed, "this is..."

"This is as good a time as any, Giles," says Xander, all traces of the goofball gone, "while this may go against everything you've learned, studied and trained for, but Belmovekk is right. Girls like Buffy shouldn't have to go out and die alone, friendless and forgotten in some faceless piece of chess between good and bad. Your much beloved prophecies, the one that was supposed to be never wrong said that Buffy would die by the hand of the master. And you guys did nothing because some stupid old book said so. And I proved that stupid thing wrong. The B-man is right, you don't win wars by sticking to the rules, you win them by breaking them, you fight dirty, change the rules on them."

"Uh, look guys," says Willow, "its late. Before we go all wild bunch on each other, how about we call it quits, right? Everything will look much better in the morning."

* * *

Everyone had gone home except for Giles and Buffy, doing a last minute patrol.

"I think we may have made a mistake in accepting Belmovekk's aid," said Giles after a long while in which they said nothing.

"That's easy for you to say, Giles," Buffy replies, "but his training has definitely given me a better chance to survive."

"I know, Buffy" Giles says as he looks around, "it's just that, um, there may be some irreconcilable philosophical differences. What he did to Xander was inexcusable."

"Well, if Xander is happy with it," Buffy shruggs, causing Giles to stop in his tracks.

"That is not a good justification, Buffy. I'm also worried where his great crusade is going to lead us. The great balance doesn't just exist for nothing."

"Color me indifferent on the great balance, Giles," Buffy says as she gestures around her, "all it has given me is a lot trouble and grief. Right now the idea doing a 180 on fate does has its appeal. For all we know the promised land lies on that sther side. Didn't you hear, Giles, there are no demons elsewhere in the universe, they shouldn't be here. To me that idea has more appeal then some stupid balance thingy."

Giles sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, just above his glasses.

"But what if he's wrong, Buffy, and everything goes haywire?"

"And what if the Master had really killed me," Buffy counters, "or I die tomorrow in some stupid fight, all in the name of balance? What does the great balance matter to those who are dead, Giles? I say, we see things out for now. We can always go our separate ways if Belmo really goes maxi wig on us."

In the comfort of his new home, Belmovekk the Saiyan opens his big shopping bag on the dinner table and takes out a bottle of hard liquor and stares long and intently at it. Then he picks it up and throws it against a wall, shattering the bottle and spraying alcohol everywhere. He sits down and stares at the wall for ten minutes. Then he sighs and gets up. In the kitchen he gets a glass and from the shopping bag he takes another bottle.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine **

**'The mind's trip'**

_A.N. This chapter was totally unplanned, the last to be finished, except for maybe 23, I'm no longer sure. It came out of Belmo's little mission statement at the end of the previous chapter and I felt something was needed to resmooth the waters. That's what you get for having a super saiyan strength muse armtwisting you into taking the story into unexpected places. At least it gave me a chance to bring in Beldin. ;-)_

* * *

"Yes, very good," said Belmovekk as he observed the training of Xander and Buffy, "very good overall form, young man, just keep working on the stance."

To illustrate his point the Saiyan kicked against Xander's foot and nearly caused him to lose balance. They had been training since school had ended late afternoon and Belmovekk had been riding them hard.

"It would be easier if you wouldn't keep knocking my feet from under me, B-man," Xander complained.

"I would not have to knock your feet from under you if you put them where they are supposed to be," Belmovekk said ona disapproving tone, "by the Gods, young man, you have improved in so many ways from that Halloween experience but your stance has suffered. Dramatically! That Elite must have been the sloppiest ever. Elites always were. To much easy power, it made them lazy. Royal Household would have been better for your training. At least we had no slackers."

"Then why didn't you get me a Royal Household costume," Xander asked as he redid the form. He was getting ahead though. Prior to Halloween he wouldn't have been able to hold a conversation and do the Saiyan's exercises.

"What? I'm not stupid," Belmovekk snorted, "we were talking unpredictable chaos magic here. I knew you would become your costume and that if you went as a Saiyan no harm would befall you. The Necessity didn't specify which Saiyan. And I don't trust their wit. For all I know if you had gone Royal Household that spell would have turned you into me."

"We couldn't have that now, can we," says Buffy, still doing her form, "there's only enough ego going around for one Belmo, let alone two."

Belmovekk gave a disapproving look over his shoulder to a smiling Buffy.

"For your information, young lady, my ego happens to be very moderate for a Saiyan."

"Oui, mon capitaine," Buffy replied impishly.

"Your lucky I didn't turn into the B-man, Buff," said Xander as he observed the Slayer's form, "I wouldn't let you slack off so much. Your stance is worse then me."

"No it's not," Buffy said.

"I hate to disagree, young lady," said Belmovekk, shaking his head "but he is right. Your forms and stance are sloppy."

"I'm not sloppy," Buffy pouted, "I just like to give it my own interpretation."

Belmovekk sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes.

"Back on planet Vegeta they would have flayed the flesh of your back for such flippant behavior, young lady."

"Then it's good I'm not on planet Vegeta, mon capitaine," smiled Buffy, fluttering her eyelashes at the Saiyan.

"Observe the most deadly weapon in the female arsenal, young man," said Belmovekk shaking both his head disapprovingly but also smiling at the same time.

"And what is the most potent weapon in the male arsenal," asked Xander.

"Money, young man. Preferably lots of it," replied the Saiyan, then he kicked against Xander's foot again.

"Stance young man, stance! And put those shoulders a little higher. A straight back, remember?"

"Why are you riding me so hard on technique while the Buffster can get away with murder," Xander complained

"Because while she is an experienced fighter, you are not," the Saiyan replied without batting an eye, "you may have gotten the knowledge of a lot of skills very fast but your body still needs to catch up. Which means lots of good honest exercise. And to be honest, also because I have already given up on the young lady doing anything right. I still have some hope for you, young man. "

"I feel like I was just insulted or something," says Buffy.

"No disrespect intended, young lady, Belmovekk said as he corrected Xander's form again, "but you are the closest to being an Elite on this world. Elites are notorious for being difficult and cutting corners in training. They always make up for it with utter abandonment and insane power in battle. That is what makes them Elite. It comes natural to them. Us ordinary mortals have to work very hard for it."

"It must be that slayer deal," said Xander, "enhanced strength, speed."

"Maybe," Belmovekk nodded, "although I suspect there may be more to it. I guess we will never know. Not unless we meet another Slayer. And I for one am not that curious to find out."

"You could just ask, Giles," says Buffy, "I'm sure the Tweed brigade keeps records on all past Slayers."

Belmovekk looks at Buffy, then at Xander, absolutely flabbergasted.

"I think the word you're looking for is d'oh," smiles Xander and high fives Buffy, "score one for the hometeam, Buff!"

Belmovekk tries to say something, then changes his mind and claps his hands.

"Anyway, gather around. New exercise, people. Now that our young man here has increased dramatically I want to integrate the both of you into a team."

"I thought we were already a team," asked Buffy.

"Don't take this the wrong way, young lady,"Belmovekk replies, "but you have a team, it is just that you are not a part of it."

"No need to get harsh, Belmo."

"I'm not trying to be harsh, young lady, I'm trying to fix things. In order to be a team you must be part of it, not just use them as a support mechanism. And you have been using them like that. Of course back then you had no physical equal. But now you have Xander. No need to go it alone. I just want the two of you to become an integrated fighting team. Able to blindly cover each others backs and fight together as one.

So for now I'm going to drop the usual pre- and post-form spars. For the next months all we are going to practice beside our regular forms and exercises is the both of you teaming up attacking me. I will always lower my strength to above yours so the only way you will be able to beat me is through team work.

So lets get to it!"

* * *

That night, on one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries Buffy and Belmovekk were sitting on some tombstones.

"You still think he's going to rise," asked Buffy. They had been sitting here for over half an hour. Even Xander had already gone home, citing an important history test tomorrow.

"Oh, he is still down there," says Belmovekk, taking another reader with his scouter, "sitting all nice and cozy. He'll come when he's ready."

"I hope he hurries up," Buffy says, "I also have that history test tomorrow."

"What is it about," the Saiyan asks

"Something really boring about pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingies," Buffy replies off hand.

"I am an expert on pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingies," Belmovekk smiles, "I lived in one for most of my life."

"Thanks," smiles Buffy, "but I do think they meant on this world. I think I'll be able to wing it. She may have been totally useless but at least that noblewoman lived in that age."

"So you still remember," Belmovekk asks surprised, "It has been weeks ago. I thought you had forgotten it already."

"Just enough to go for a cool C minus," smiled Buffy.

"Why set the bar sow low, young lady," the Saiyan asks sternly, "you wished for this double life, Slayer by night, student by day. Why not go the extra mile? Surely you have some plans for after this school? From what I gather most people do need additional education if they wish to go further in life."

"I don't know," Buffy says, "I've always been so busy focusing on slaying I never got to focus much on studying. I never seem to get away from it. Besides, I'm just not that smart."

"Says who, young lady? Tactically you're a very good fighter. Better then most fighters I have known. I wouldn't let you plan an assault but I have full confidence in you carrying one out."

"They don't test for fighting skills, Belmo," Buffy smiles weakly.

"Bah, what sort of school do you attend," the Saiyan snorts, "fighting should be bloody mandatory."

The Saiyan's outburst causes Buffy to smile.

"You do know I'm attending Sunnydale High, not Saiyan High, remember?"

"Like this Gods forsaken place ever lets me forget," Belmovekk says as he looks around, "every time I return to this place I feel dirty. So, they don't teach fighting at that crazy school, that doesn't make you stupid."

"All my teachers seem to think so," Buffy says.

"I find that very hard to believe, young lady. There is no way that they are all prejudiced against you!"

"There was that biology teacher," Buffy says as she remembers the poor soul who wanted to give her a chance, "he was the only one who didn't think he had figured me out just from reading my permanent record."

"You see. Not everybody can be that prejudiced," the Saiyan smiles triumphantly

"Of course, he was killed and eaten by that praying mantis lady," Buffy replies, causing Belmovekk's triumphant smirk to fade, "that's the Hellmouth for you."

"The Hellmouth doesn't make you stupid, young lady," Belmovekk says, still not giving up, "although it does make me feel sick and dirty from time to time"

"My father always used to say that thinking wasn't my strong point," Buffy continued, "he said that I should leave the thinking to others.""

"That is just one opinion," Belmovekk said, suppressing a strong urge to go forth and horribly kill Hank Summers. Some things you just don't say to a child, even if they were true. He also suppressed an urge to curse Hank Summers, seeing the sense of longing in Buffy's face as soon as she had mentioned her father. The man had stopped seeing her soon after the start of the new school year, Master Giles has told him. Something about a new job opportunity in Spain. That's what Buffy had been told. But master Giles had talked to Buffy's mother and learned the real reason. Hank Summers had met up with a new woman and was even now trying to weasel himself out from having to pay child support. And her mother, the good soul, just didn't have the heart to tell her.

Belmovekk hopped of the tombstone and knelt before Buffy as he took her hands.

"This gorgeous girl right before me could never be dumb. You just have the bad luck of being surrounded by genius. We judge ourselves by the people we know, young lady. And master Giles and Willow just happen to be pretty smart. It is only natural if that makes you feel any less. Take me, by all standards I am a good sorcerer. It is just that I know some really good ones who are way better then me. Nobody asks you to be Willow smart, young lady, most people are not. Just do not settle for a C minus when you can get a B minus."

"Tell me something, Belmo," Byffy askes, as she fought to suppress a tear.

"Tell, you what, young lady," the Saiyan asked surprised.

"Something about yourself, your past," Buffy said, "after that little Halloween speech Giles has doubts. I may have some doubts. If I must convince him I need to know you a bit better. You've always been very cryptic about your past. Tell me something."

Still holding her hands kneeling the Saiyan averted her eyes and looked to the ground.

"My past is not something I would like visit, young lady,"he finally says, "it is a place of great danger, regret and many evil deeds better left forgotten. No visit there ever goes unscathed."

Buffy reverses Belmovekk's hold on her hands and takes his instead.

"I need to know, Belmo," she says, "you don't have to tell everybody or everything, Belmo, just tell me. Giles trusts me."

"OK, I will," Belmovekk looks up into her eyes and sighs, " but you have to promise me that you will do better for that test. I will accept nothing less then a B now, young lady."

Belmovekk pulls his righthand from Buffy's left and puts ut on Buffy's forehead.

"See!"

* * *

Buffy suddenly finds herself standing in what appeared to be some sort of medieval studyroom. Although the place was tidy it was literally filled to the brim with books, scrolls and various objects that screamed look at me, Buffy, pick me up, Buffy. A window showed a tranquil vale with a single large tree in it. Behind a large desk sat a man studying a scroll. She couldn't place the man's racial type. He looked incredibly ancient with a long and full snow white beard. At first he didn't look up, then he gazed at Buffy and smiled, his eyes seeming looking eternally young. The he returns to his scroll leaving Buffy to fend for herself.

Fine. If he won't say anything she will have a look around. She starts walking around the place, occasionally stopping to studya peculiar object. Usually in the tried and tested Buffy method of picking them up.

"It wouldst be best if thy would not try to see everthing with thy hands," the man finally says.

"So he can speak," Buffy replies as she puts the object she's been holding back.

"If I must," the man says smiling gently.

"Where am I," she asked.

"You are inside my mind," a small child suddenly says behind her, Saiyan by the look of his tail. He came as if out of nowhere as she didn't see him before. The child was maybe no older then 4 years. He looked kinda cute in his little Saiyan armor, like Xander had worn on Halloween. The child looked like how Belmovekk would look like when aged four, with a sense of child like innocence that comes natural to all children.

"Are you, Belmo," Buffy smiled at the child as she kneels before it.

"My name is Movekk," the child replied and smiled back.

"I thought your name was Belmovekk," Buffy asked.

"No, I am called Movekk," the child says as it shakes its head.

"Then where are we Moe?"

"You are on my pre-industrial agrarian watchamathingy," little Movekk says, "and today I'm going to remember again."

"Remember what, Moe," Buffy asks weary.

"Everything that I was and will be again," the child replies.

"God, such a small child and already up to here in the cryptic," sighs Buffy.

"What thy sees is merely a symbolic representation, Buffy Anne Summers," the man behind the desk said, putting away his scroll, "the babe represents Belmovekk as he was on this, most terrible of days."

Buffy looks around at the man behind the desk and goes to him, planting her hands at his desk.

"OK, firstly, what is this, secondly, what's with the ancient grammar and thirdly who and what are you, and lastly how did you know my middle name, I never even told Belmo that!"

"Thou are't pert," smiled the man amused, "I can see why Belmovekk likes thee."

"If I don't get some answers, mister, I will go pert on thy sorry ass," Buffy says. She hates it when they go cryptic on her. Especially men of mystery.

"There will be no need for histrionics nor threats, Buffy Anne Summers," the man smiles, "thou are't inside Belmovekk's mind. Thy has expressed a need to know something so here thou are't. As for my speech, it comes natural to me for I am Aldur. As for thy middle name, it was revealed to me the moment thy stepped inside his mind."

Aldur? She had heard that name before, but where? Oh no, did she just...

"You're the god he serves," she gasps as she steps back, "but how...if this is just a memory, how can I be talking to a god?"

"Part of me exists here, Buffy Anne Summers,"Aldur smiles, "in all of mine disciples and those I have touched."

"So this is not a memory?"

"Oh it is, child, but since I am a God I exist in more then just thy dimensions. So thy are't talking with me at the same time. I was hoping we would get a chance to meet."

"You mean I'm actually talking to...," Buffy stammers

"Yes child," Aldur smiles.

Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!

"And I just... Look, I'm sorry if I just offended you," Buffy says as she lapses into Willowesque babble, "it's just that...well, you're the first god I've ever met."

"No need for thee to apologize child," Aldur smiles while making an its OK gesture, "thy has still a long way to go. In a way thy are't as innocent still as Belmovekk was."

"I have been called many things, but never innocent," Buffy says as she represses a snort. After all, one doesn't snort divinty, right?

"Thou still hast such a long way to go," Aldur says, his smile turning slightly to sad, "I wish I could be of greater assistance in thy endeavors. Unfortunately I can'st not even bless thee."

"That's OK, I never was much one for religion," Buffy says, not relishing the idea of having a piece of a God inside her, "so what is going to happen, Al. You don't mind if I call you Al?"

"Not at all, Buffy Anne Summers, I have been called much worse by mine own brother. Come sit with me," Aldur gestured towards a seat which previously wasn't there. Food and drink appeared on the table and Aldur again gestured her to take some. As she sits down she notices some bottles of wine.

"Uh, AL, you do realize that serving alcohol to a minor is strictly illegal, right?"

"Only on thy world, child. Besides, this is all in thy shared mind. Thou wouldst not notice any of its effects once this is past."

"In that case I'll have some wine," Buffy says as she reaches for a cup, "how about the red?"

"A fine choice child, so I am told," Aldur nods approvingly.

And so Buffy found herself talking about herself, her life, her family and her friends to that strange but seemingly gentle and likable God from afar. Aldur was especially interested in the concept of the Slayer and how they were picked. And Buffy learned a little about Aldur. How the god had forsaken human love and worship to study what he had helped creating. Learning of the great split in the purpose of the universe, handpicking his disciples for the coming battle. How he had come across Belmovekk wandering and hiding in the wild not knowing who and what he was.

"He was most strange to us," Aldur said looking atchild-Belmovekk who was playing on the ground, "most who have absence of memory still exhibit forms of their former selves. Yet he would never willingly harm anyone. Which leads me to think Belmovekk and others of his kind were never evil to begin with."

"But they killed people, Al," Buffy countered between eating some chicken, "surely that is wrong?"

Aldur shrugged and looked at child-Belmovekk again.

"Not all men of evil are truly evil, Buffy Anne Summers," he said, "true, there are't many who have chosen the way of evil, but there are't also many made that way. If thy hast lived for all of thy life in a world where all tell thee it is good to kill others not of their kind, are't thou to blame if thy kills?"

"Maybe, but it is still wrong!"

"What is right and what is wrong often depends on who defines them, child. Belmovekk and I spend a year together traveling across our little world and I found no evil in this man's heart. Only the evil that others had put into him. So I and mine disciples took him in. And in the end we did but a terrible thing," Aldur said and looked pained.

"Which was what," Buffy asked weary.

"I restored upon him that which was lost to him," Aldur said sadly.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It will shatter his innocence, Buffy Anne Summers. For he may not have been like the babe we see here, but for two happy years inst a way he was like this child. For allst was new and exciting to him. It is not every day a man learns that he was a murderer killer, a slayer of worlds," Aldur sighed, then gestured Belmovekk the until then playing child to come forth.

"Come Movekk!"

"You can't do that to him," objected Buffy as the child came forward, "that would be cruel!"

"Thou cannot change the past, Buffy Anne Summers," Aldur replied as he held out his hand, "this has already happened whenst thou civilization was still working onst thy Pyramids. Most of them. Remember thou are't now of a shared mind, therefore thou can'st only bear witness."

With great sadness Aldur touched child Belmovekk on his forehead. Child Belmovekk started to shake violently after the touch, then fell crying onto the floor into a fetal position. Without thinking Buffy knelt next beside him to comfort the wailing child.

"What have you done," she yelled angry at Aldur.

"What he wanted," replied the god sadly, "what was needed. Goodbye sweet child."

"What? Audience is over, Al?"

"I am not going anywhere, child," Aldur replied, "but Belmovekk will taketh thou elsewhere soon. Thou are't of great spirit. Be true to thyself and thy friends. As long as thee are't true to one another evil shall never vanquish thee."

BAM!

Belmovekk no longer lay in the fetal position but was on his knees and started to pound the ground with his fist. With every hit cracks appeared on the ground.

"Belmo, what are you doing," Buffy asked. Belmovekk looked up at her. He had changed. He no longer looked like a child, but looked more like he normally did, only still somewhat younger. His gaze however was nothing she had come to expect. There was nothing of the gentleness she had come to expect. Nor the steel that came out when what needed to be done had to be done. This was bloody rage and murder staring right at her. The kind she had seen so often in the vampires and demons trying to kill her. Evil Belmo grinned and pounded the floor one more time causing everything to crack into shards that fell away.

As the shards fell away the scene had shifted from Aldur's studyroom to an alien planet. Belmovekk had disappeared and Buffy stood in an alien city amidst a large crowd of aliens. They were so non-human looking that normally she could have mistaken them for demons. But to her Slayer enhanced senses they didn't feel that wrong. The architecture felt wrong though, but more because she was used to human architecture. And there was the purple sky with the final rays of a setting blue sun..

"Now I'm really far from Kansas, Toto," she said to no one in particular.

Meanwhile all the aliens were ignoring her as if she was the most common thing in their world. Probably because it was only a mind thing inside the Saiyan's head. They were all staring into the sky. There it would seem a meteor shower was taking place, the sky full of falling stars.

One in particular came directly towards their location. It grew closer and closer until Buffy could see it. Instead of being a meteor it was a spherical ship. Not even that large.

It was then that she understood what she was about to see. He had talked about it, not much, with much scantyness on the details, but from what little he had said she recognized a shperical Saiyan spacepod when she finally saw one.

"No, Belmo, please...," Buffy said as she shook her head. Seeing someting was most definately not preferable to hearing about it.

The only answer was the explosion and resulting shockwave of a spherical ship at high speed coming to an abrupt stop in a build up area about a mile away.

For a minute the dust settled, then came a series of screams and small explosions. Building after building started to collapse and whoever was doing it, Buffy had a pretty good idea by now, was coming towards her. The aliens around her started to run, followed by a wave of refugees coming towards her from the disaster area. She felt the need to do something to protect these aliens, even for them the Slayer instincts came through strong. But she finally understood the futility of fighting something that was all illusion anyway. At other places similar attacks were also taking place.

By now Buffy was swamped in fleeing aliens, when the buildings in front of her imploded from within. Through the dust a lone figure came flying in Saiyan battle armor. It was Belmovekk and he appeared to be having the time of his life. He was lobbing off energy blasts left and right and from looking left and right herself Buffy could see that other Saiyans were doing the same. They were herding these people. Undoubtedly to a predesignated killing zone.

The tide of fleeing aliens finally managed to sway Buffy along and pushed and prodded her towards what they thought was a safe point. Through alien streets she was swept to what appeared to be a large open square. From all directions refugees congregated. And from all directions she could now see the Saiyans converging as well. She had found the killing ground.

Finally the mad desperate mob stopped as there was no more space to advance to, still the pressure build up behind her as others were still being being driven on. Eventually the pressure became almost unbearable. She could only guess how it was for the people in the square.

The explosions behind her abated. She could just turn her head and see Belmovekk floating behind her a few hundred meters distance. The Saiyan put his hands in front of him, armed stretched, handpalms touching.

"No way," Buffy said.

"Yes way," replied the Saiyan. Then a massive beam shot out form his hands, hitting the masses like a flamethrower, incinerating them where they stood. The other Saiyans did the same. The screams of the dying were indescribable. Unable to move in a panicked mob all Buffy could think of was whether or nor Xander had dreams of doing this at night. Then the beam hit her.

* * *

She didn't feel pain. Instead she found herself somewhere else. She had seen enough of Xander's science fiction movies to recognize the setup. She was on the command deck of a spaceship. She was surrounded by Saiyans, officers from the look of it. And all were grouped around and looking at a large holographic display. Grim faces wearing scouters studying the image of a planet.

To her surprise Buffy discovered that not only did she wore a scouter, she was in Saiyan battle armor. In Aldur's studyroom and on Massacre planet she had been wearing her own stylish clothes. Now she had gone fully native. Gone were her stylish shoes with moderate heels, much disliked by both Giles and Belmovekk, instead she wore ugly flat Saiyan combat boots. The armor felt great though. It didn't constrict at all, moving along with her every move as if made from rubber. She could do without its carbon dated shoulder pieces and the spandex like material underneath though.

She examined the other Saiyans. They came in all shapes and sizes. Many were female. All had that crazy black hair that Belmovekk sprouted and which defied gravity. The female Saiyans distinguished themselves from the males through their faces and a more slender figure. They all looked disgustingly healthy, fit and athletic. Many of the Saiyans wore scars, one even lacked an eye.

Now that she had a scouter Buffy tapped her scouter to scan everybody. It disheartened her to see that not a single Saiyan present was below the 2000. She wondered if she could scan herself. The device probably could but she didn't know which setting to use. Then she saw a familiar face.

Belmovekk looked older then last time, almost like he was today sans the goatee. Like the others he wore the same gear except for a large device on his left wrist and a larger scouter covering both eyes and ears. The Saiyan girl beside him wore the same gear. She appeared to be no older then Buffy and according to Buffy's scouter she was the weakest (or maybe least strong was a better word) Saiyan present in the room.

"Good day, scum," said Belmovekk gruffly. Several Saiyans started to snort. Belmovekk just smiled sternly and continued.

"As you bastards may have noticed this is not an ordinary mission. As some of you may guessed our most honorable king (lots of disapproving snorts) has been freelancing again so we lack our usual comfortable billets and transports. We'll just have to overcome any temporary discomforts," smiled Belmovekk.

"Movekk, you dog," said one of the Saiyans, "the food on this barge is atrocious! All we get is emergency rations."

"Then your men should have brought their own supplies, dumb ass," Belmovekk snorted uncaringly, "as did the men in other companies. I'm not responsible if your men can't plan ahead, Durkha. Fleet normally handles expeditionary logistics, but we are not with Fleet at the moment. All our generous king (more derisive snorts) can provide is emergency rations.

Now for the briefing. The world we are going to cleanse is home to a race called the Merathri. They number in the 2.7 billion. Luckily for us theirs is an urban culture. These ten cities house over 36 of the total population. If we hit them in the first strike we will cripple their means to organize any coherent defense."

On the holographic display of the target world ten cities started to glow. Over half were on a continent on the northern hemisphere. One target city started to blink.

"This is their capital city." Belmovekk said as the blinking city turned into a map of a large city, "like always this will have to be taken out first and regardless. The Merathri character is one of both obstinate resistance to outsiders and submission to higher authority. Its a centralized culture. Which will work to our advantage. Cut of the head and the body doesn't know what to do. Failure to cut of the head means prolonged and costly resistance. Unfortunately for us the planet is well protected. Which is why our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) saw it fit to engage our good king (more derisive snorts). This world has no moons to speak of to provide us with a full moon, so Ozaru is out. On the plus side we don't have to be careful about damaging the planet to much either. We can do as much damage to the Merathri and their infrastructure as we wish. Extermination is our first and foremost objective."

"What about loot," asked another Saiyan.

"The mission comes first and foremost," replied Belmovekk, "loot is so far down the priorities it's not even an option. Swift and deadly, not loot and grab."

"The men won't like that," the Saiyan officer snorted, "what's the use of joining the military if you line your own pockets?"

"If you can't keep your men under control I'm sure I can find somebody else," Belmovekk said coldly. The other Saiyan said nothing.

"We are Royal Household," said Belmovekk, "not one of the mercenary companies. The king pays us to do a job, we do it. If we do it well we get a bonus."

Then Belmovekk started to smirk slyly and tapped something on his scouter and a building on the map started to light up.

"Now of course, if nobody blows up this building, who's to say what we would find in it," Belmovekk grinned, "it just so happens to be their treasury. Any proceeds gets split with everybody in the regiment, the usual means.

"Now you're talking, Movekk," another Saiyan said as the rest murmured approvingly.

Once the gathering had quieted down again Belmovekk continued his briefing.

"The planet's defenses consist of an orbital defense system against invading ships and a surface to space defense system to defend against planetary invasion. Their armed forces possess significant weaponry to make any organized ground battle a very costly affair. Our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) possess the means to take out the orbital defense system, but not the planetary one. There is also the Merathri fleet to consider. That is why they have been lured to a neighboring system. This will allow our hosts to take out the orbital defense system and then take up position to block any attempt of the Merathri fleet to come the end of their homeworld."

All the while the holographic display showed every detail Belmovekk was giving, as he tapped the device on his left wrist.

"Unfortunately my fellow scum, since our gracious hosts (derisive snorts) can't take out the surface defenses we are going to run the risk of braving the enemy gunfire on our descent. Projected casualties for the descent are estimated to be in the 35."

The room broke down as everybody realized the risk of such an operation. And while all Saiyans love a good fight, they don't relish dying needlessly before one.

"Everybody shut the fuck up now," yelled Belmovekk, trying to restore order to the meeting, "I haven't finished yet!"

It took some more swearing and cajoling to bring the room to order but it happened.

"I realize these figures may not be to anyone's liking but they are the price to pay for getting the job done. So would say many a commander. Now luckily for you ungrateful bastards. I'm not one of them. I would do so if I had to though, this mission is just to important."

"That's what they all say, Movekk," snorted another Saiyan, "it usually only lines the pockets of Frieza and our 'glorious king!'"

"Well, Korek, you can either trust me on this or you don't," Belmovekk said, not giving the Saiyan the satisfaction of looking him in the eye, "I don't give a flying fuck what you think. But I'm not going to piss away 35 of my strength if there is an alternative. You may be an ungrateful lot but those losses mean it will just take longer then is necessary. Especially since there is a back door."

"Ah, the old let's sneak up behind and fuck 'em up the ass routine," said one Saiyan, earning a laugh from the others.

"Well spotted," laughed Belmovekk, "the Merathri control their surface defenses, or their space defenses for that matter from a centralized location. If we take that one out we render their surface defenses useless, allowing for zero casualties on the descent. This way we can hit the 10 biggest population centers and decapitate the Merathri body before then can reorganize."

"And who will be the 'lucky volunteers'," asked Korek.

"I myself will lead this attack," said Belmovekk, "I have scouted out the area and I know I can get a strike team into position to take out the base. As for the volunteers, I've selected these personnel for this mission."

"That is my best man, you imbecile," declared another Saiyan as he saw the list appear on the holographic display. Other commanders also started to object as their personnel were chosen

"If you are so desperate for him, or any of you for that matter, I can always abort this mission and go instead for the combat drop under fire," Belmovekk said as he folded his arms across his chest, "but I will make sure your pods will be the first to hit the atmosphere and mine will be last."

That got everyone's attention.

"I thought you would see it my way," grinned Belmovekk. He then proceeded to give further details regarding deployments, targets, and timetables.

What greatly surprised Buffy was the contrast between the way the meeting was conducted, rowdy, informal, full of strong language and how cold and impersonal the mass murder of 2.7 billion people was being regarded. These Saiyans weren't evil like demons or vampires always were. To them it was just a job they had to do. A test of will at best. It reminded Buffy of the Nazi's in Schindler's list, who could be charming, caring even to some Jews, what one would consider normal human behavior. And then take a gun and shoot human beings as if they were mere clay pigeons for their amusement. That movie and those Nazi's had scared Buffy more then any horror movie or any demon she ever met could. And so did these Saiyans.

The meeting came to a close as Belmovekk wrapped things up.

"Alright scum, I said it before, and you heard it many times before, but this mission is absolutely crucial to our people (derisive snorts again). A lot may depend on this so let's do this so we can all go home. For the glory of our people, our glorious king (more derisive snorts), the Royal Household, and the 7th Regiment. The Fighting Bastards!"

"The Fighting Bastards," the Saiyans said out loud.

That was the cue to break up and the various commanders started to leave the command room to return to their units. Except for Buffy, Belmovekk and the teenage girl beside him.

"Have you thought about my request," the girl asked folding her arms across her chest.

"I have, Mayan," said Belmovekk as he leaned on the edge of the holographic display, a posture Buffy had seen the Saiyan do very often indicating mental tiredness, "and I won't reconsider. You will not join the first assault group with me. It's to dangerous. I would bring shame to our house if I were to get you killed on your first mission."

"That is my decision to make, brother," she said coldly, the she started to look at him with big puppy eyes.

Was this girl his sister? He never mentioned having had a sister before.

"And it is mine to ignore that request as I see fit as operation commander," Belmovekk said as he ignored her pouting, "you will drop with the main force near the capital and that is the end of it, Mayan.. You may be my sister but you are also my adjutant. I can't have you with me on this mission even if I wanted to. You must help coordinate the assault with my second."

"It's not fair, brother! I earned the right to be here. I had the highest power level of my group!," pouted the girl in a way that seemed way to familiar to Buffy to feel comfortable.

"I know, Mayan," Belmovekk said, his mannerism suggesting he was close to giving in. Then he found some steel in himself and her chances of success diminished.

You will someday bring great glory to our hous, Mayan. But this will not be that day yet. Life just isn't about fair. What is, is. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, the end is not as fun as the start. Come here, sis."

Belmovekk held out his arms to embrace her and the girl responded in kind. Gently they embraced each other.

"Our father will be proud of us upon our return," he said hugging her, "his son in command of a highly esteemed mission and his little girl's first mission."

"Let's make father proud," she said, kissing Belmovekk on the cheeks and waved goodbye as she left the command center. That left only Buffy and Belmovekk, who so far had ignored her as if she weren't there. Then he turned towards her and spoke.

"She never made it back home," Belmovekk sighed sadly, "none of them did. I was the only one to escape when Frieza's henchmen came and hunted them all down. My father asked me to look out for her and I failed them both."

* * *

The scene suddenly shifted again. Gone was the command center. It looked like Aldur's studyroom all over again, only just different. A little more shabby, different stuff, a little more cold, same sort of view from the window, no Aldur present. Thinking about Al made Buffy giggle. This whole trip already feltl ike a Quantum leap episode, the next thing she needed was a deity named Al following her around giving advice. At least she noticed she had her own clothes back.

As she turned around to look she saw a bed with a figure in it. She walked closer to see who was in it. It was Belmovekk. No longer the innocent child, no longer the mass murdering Saiyan, or the commander. Just a shadow of his former self, reeking of alcohol and sleeping off his intoxication. A set of empty bottles laying on the floor. Buffy picked one up and smelled. She puts it away in disgust. The alcohol content must have been enormous.

"It's all he does nowadays," a voice said behind her. She turned around. A deformed hunchback sat on a chair, his hair unkempt, the weirdest combination of mismatched and disheveled clothes on him, looking tired and bored.

"And who are you supposed to be," she asked, "Al's poor misfit brother?"

The hunchback sighed as he looked past her.

"I am but a shadow of a memory, Buffy, but my name is Beldin."

"Your one of Belmo's brothers," she said as she recognized the name, "you're the deformed one."

"Got it right, sis. I can see why he likes you," Beldoin said as he straightened himself and looked at her with more interest, "yam yam, if only I weren't a memory. I can't believe you called our Master Al and got away with it!"

Beldin started to smile and curse some the most foul language Buffy had ever heard.

"I wish I wasn't a memory," sighed Beldin afterwards, "then I could watch Belgarath's head explode as I tell him how Belmovekk's girl calls the Master."

"You are the wiggiest thing I've so far encountered in this wigfest brain," Buffy said shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," smiled Beldin, "it must be my roguish charm. Imagine how I would be like in person?"

"I'd rather not, Quasimodo," Buffy replied, "So, what's the deal here?"

"Well , after apeboy here had his memory back he basically went a huge guilt trip and tried to kill himself," Beldin said and pointed at Belmovekk, "so for over a year we were more on less on constant suicide watch. Torak's teeth, I never suspected he could wallow so much in self pity. Then again, so did the mighty Belgarath later on. So I guess it was good exercise for the rest of us. Early on he took to heavy drinking to dull the pain. And we more or less encouraged it. At least a drunk Saiyan ain't a dead Saiyan."

"How long did this guiltapalooza last?"

"Oh, a few years," Beldin said, "in the big scheme of things not that long. No remorsathon lasts forever when you have forever to deal with it. Which is just as well, the bugger kept me of my favorite pastime."

"And what might that be?"

"Trying to sink a hot meat hook into Urvon's stomach and yank his guts out," grinned Beldin and a vicious white glowing hot metal hook appeared in his hand, "failing that, killing off the occasional Grolim of Urvon to keep the bugger of balance."

Beldin was grinning viciously from ear to ear as Buffy buried her face in her hands.

"Uw! God, is there anything in this wigged up brain that makes sense?"

"And that from a girl who likes to play with vampires," snorted Beldin, snapping his fingers making the hook disappear, "both on the battlefield and in the bedroom."

"Hey Quasimodo, Angel is not my boyfriend," Buffy objected vehemently, "we're just friends."

"Sure, friends who just happen to like doing the When Harry Met Sally thing," Beldin replied grinning.

"No, we aren't! It's...it's complicated right! I...why am I even discussing this with a wigged up memory inside a very mental brain!"

Beldin grinned and jumped out of his chair and starting to somersault through the room like a 3rd rate carnival acrobat.

"Ah, come on, me darlin'," he said in a weird accent, "gives the old master Feldegast a pretty mile, will ya?"

Beldin's behaviour was starting to annoy Buffy.

"I'm going to wring your deformed neck, you freak," she yelled.

"You'd have to catch me first, darlin'," Beldin smiled and continued his antics.

Not for long however as Buffy grab his scruffy little neck, then pinned him against the wall.

"Look Quasimodo," she hissed, "I'm so not in the mode for your fun and games."

"You can't kill me darlin', I'm just a figment of his imagination," Beldin gasped as her hand held his throat.

"If you are just a figment of his imagination you wouldn't mind me signing you up for some anger management now would ya," Buffy smiled viciously.

"No need to get violent, darlin'. I'm just trying to liven up the place," Beldin gasped, "as you may have noticed the place could use some cheering up with mister I'm so sorry for myself over there in a coma."

Buffy sighed and let go of Beldin who started to rub his throat.

"Nothing makes sense here." she said and started to wonder about the place, looking at things, the hunchback sorcerer following her every move.

"For what it's worth, Buffy, whose brain does make sense when you enter it," Beldin said, "what did you expect, everything nicely ordered and making sense? Only a machine mind would be like that. And probably pretty scary to boot if you were inside one. Or how about an obsessive compulsive? Give me one of these nicely illogical and chaotic brains any day."

"I guess."

"And you got to meet Al, ze Master! That by itself is an EVENT of epic proportions. Please don't touch that," Beldin said as Buffy picked up a bottle containing some funky potion.

"Why, it's just a figment of his imagination," Buffy smiled girlishly at the hunchback sorcerer..

"For the same reason I didn't want you to rearrange my face," Beldin said. It also happens to be a very explosive figment of his imagination."

"Alright," Buffy said and put back the potion she had been sniffing, "so I got to meet Al, big deal. Its not as if he meant that much to me before. I just heard some stuff about him. How he was so cool, and so nice and so gentle. And then I see him ripping open a man's memory."

"It had to happen, Buffy," Beldin shrugged, "he desperately wanted to know. He would have tried it himself anyway. You can't always have your happily ever after ending. Do you always have to look using your hands?"

"Sorry, it's just I have never seen any of this stuff," Buffy said as she had picked up another weird contraption.

"And its probably better you never will," Beldin said as he took the object from her,"but if I may ask, why are you here?"

"I wonder about that myself," Buffy sighed, "all I wanted was for him to tell why me why he does what he does. Cause Giles is starting to get wigged up about him."

"Ah, so it is a character witness you want," smiled Beldin, "you've come to the right place, me darlin'! Have no fear, master Feldegast is here! Auw! Why are you hitting me?"

Beldin started to rub his shoulder that Buffy had hit.

"Because you were getting annoying again," Buffy replied, "and to see if you can hit a figment of one's imagination!"

"It bloody hurt," Beldin complained

"Then don't be so bloody annoying," Buffy shrugged.

"It's not my fault," Beldin said, "I'm only being kept around for comic relief."

"Don't you make me hit you again, Quasimodo," Buffy said pointing her finger at the hunchback.

"You hit like a girl though. Granted a girl with a ten ton hammer but still."

"Now, what did I say about being annoying?"

"Alright," Beldin replied, "look, Buffy dearest, I don't think brother Belmovekk wanted to show you any of this. I think your little trip down memory line has been hijacked by Aldur."

"Al? What on earth is he up to?"

"I think he wanted to show you what kind of man Belmovekk is. And so he could get to meet you. And now it would seem he leaves it all to me to explain it all," Beldin said, "which is typical."

"I thought you were comic relief guy," Buffy asked suspiciously.

"I also do exposition and advanced philosophical theoretics," grind Beldin again, "I'm your Xander and Willow rolled into one handy deformed little package. I think it all boils down to this. Belmovekk is a Saiyan, right?"

"I bloody well hope so, Quasimodo or I have a real problem," Buffy said.

Beldin started to pace as he continued.

"Saiyans are a warrior race. Warriors tend to see things in clear black and white because hesitation will get you killed on the battlefield. Saiyans, like all warriors, live by a rigid code of conduct. That code is their life, it defines who and what they are. Are you still with me?"

"Get on with it!"

"Oh, you're a feisty one," smiled Beldin, "alright. Now Belmovekk had his code of conduct radically turned upside down. As a warrior he understands that sometimes you have to kill. It's not the killing he objects to. Killing Grolims is as much a hobby of him as it is of mine. But it has to have meaning now. He wants to fight the good fight now as penance for what he did. And that is where his dilemma comes in. As a Saiyan he knew no limits other then those set by his own kind. Anything was allowed, anything was fair game, as long as it benefited them and their kind.

Now he has gone to the other extreme. Now he has limits. But they tend to be grey. While nobody can dispute that killing a murderer when he's about to kill somebody is a good thing, what if he wasn't doing anything bad at the time? What if you know he was going to kill somebody but hadn't so far? Or if you knew a person's death could save several lives, a hundred lives, a thousand, millions? Save a world? Those are the shades of grey he is struggling with. Don't get me wrong, he can make those decisions probably better then anyone else. But he knows doubts and doubts are something Saiyans are ill equipped to deal with."

"But doubts can also be a good thing, right," Buffy said, "it means he has a conscience and isn't just a mindless killing machine."

"I don't think he ever was a mindless killing machine," Beldin said, resting his head on his hand, "even Saiyans need reasons to kill. Even they had a conscience. But consciences are funny things. You only feel guilty over the things you learned were wrong. How can you feel guilty if you've been taught from birth that genocide is OK? Contrary to what you might think values are subjective. The Master tried to tell you this. Warriors like you and Belmovekk need black and white truths. That is what makes them so good in battle. See enemy, kill enemy. On the battlefield doubt can kill. So in that respect it is a bad thing.

But you seem to be worried about what he did to your friend Xander, on what he might do in the future. I can tell you that he did give your friend a chance to back out, but your friend ignored it. He clearly has you guys best interests at heart. If he feels that from time to time he needs to do things that aren't kosher or you know nothing about...well, can you honestly say you never did similar things in your dealings? Has your watcher always told you the truth? Have you always told your watcher the truth? Sometimes we must do stuff we feel is in the best interest. Often it backfires henceforth the expression of that paved road to Hell. But often it works out well, Buffy dearest," the hunchbacked sorcerer said grinning mischievously again which annoyed Buffy greatly.

."Oh! Can't you ever be serious," she exclaimed.

"With such a beautiful girl at hand," Beldin grinned naughtilly, "never! You don't understand, its hard being a fella. Once that other brain kicks in your normal brain becomes kinda deprived of oxygen."

"Uh, young lady?"

It was Belmovekk's voice. The Saiyan had awoken from this alcoholic stupor and looked up from his bed and pointed to the scouter on his face which mysteriously had appeared there.

"He is coming," the Saiyan said.

"Who," asked Buffy surprised. This was getting wiggier by the minute.

"I guess this is our goodbye," grinned Beldin then grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and pressed his lips onto hers to give her a big wet kiss, "can't kill this figment once you're gone."

"Why you little," yelled Buffy, only to realize she was no longer inside that room but standing in a Sunnydale cemetery at night. And the grave they had been waiting for was about to burst.

"He is coming, young lady," said Belmovekk and pointed to the grave. Buffy gave the Saiyan a weird out look at first. Then she realized, The clockwork orange ride was over and she was back in the regular world again.

"That was some serious wacky you put me through, mister," she said accusingly.

"Be more careful what you wish for next time, young lady," Belmovekk said, "it wasn't exactly pleasant for me either. You want me to do it?"

A hand ripped through the earth, followed by another.

"It's a okay," Buffy said, "I could use a good fight right now."


End file.
